Gags the Clown (2018) User Reviews

An Entertaining but Confused F-Footage Horror with Hit & Miss Social Commentary

[TwistedContent · 5/10 · 12 September 2019]

It's been a while since I saw a new found-footage/mockumentary horror flick, so "Gags the clown" was welcome on the screen this evening & I really did enjoy it, however, it's not a very good one.

A pretty fast moving found footage horror comedy (with nearly zero actual comedy) taking course over one night, put together from live news, police cameras, teens and their smartphones, cctv's, a podcast team etc. - I liked this approach, the many cameras, characters, locations really helped with the pacing and visual diversity. So the whole city is either looking for or hiding from Gags the clown. The characters involved are very simple and one-dimensional, with a concerning amount of a-hole roles. As it happens in a lot of horror movies, some characters and their actions don't always make sense. The acting is as good as the script allows. The story is pretty straight forward, trying to build up the climax, the mystery behind the clown, only to reveal what it had revealed already before - it's all a social commentary, a satire on today's media, society and other related things. Not that it's bad, it's just that somewhere "Gags the clown" falls a bit flat, not hitting the nail on the head. The scares and most of the potential for creepiness is abruptly stopped with digital glitches and the gore is weak. There were a few little, cool elements I liked, for example, the balloon shtick (You'll have to watch it if You want to know). Visually, judging by the found-footage genre standarts, it's quite alright, could've been better if the budget allowed more than a "let's cut it with a glitch".

I think "Gags the clown" has a great idea somewhere in it, but is confused within itself. The fast pacing & many faces and locations provide a level of entertainment, and if you like or, even better, are scared of clowns, you might enjoy this. My rating: 5/10.

This is an entertaining film worth your time.

[kevin_robbins · 6/10 · 16 May 2021]

Gags the Clown (2018) is currently free on Amazon Prime and wasn't a terrible addition to the clown genre of horror films. The storyline surrounds a mysterious clown that appears all over the city with strange balloons that when you find them and they pop a white powder in the balloon if inhaled causes you to go crazy and start killing people. The local media and a blogger start a search of the city looking to bring Gags to justice after the police struggle to find the clown. Adam Krause directs Gags the Clown as his first major motion picture. The kill scenes were good and storyline was entertaining and worth following. I liked the way the blogger and competing news crews were delivered as well as the final funhouse scene. The acting by Tracy Perez (The Strain), Lauren Ashley Carter (Pod and Jug Face) and Aaron Christensen (Dead Weight and Gray Matter) was above average and believable. Overall, this is an entertaining film worth your time. I'd give it a 5.5/10.

Gag me with a clown.

[hubbard-51836 · 6/10 · 29 July 2020]

After watching Gags I thought "meh." Its underdeveloped, not really gory, mostly creepy, the characters have no depth, and there's not a lot going on. But given a moment to think about, the actors were entertaining, the story moved along, and it was legitimately freaky. Given it looks like it was made on $50 and a bottle of ketchup, I'd have to say I thought Gags the Clown is a fairly done B-movie.

Disappointed... Maybe my expectations were to high. Not scary and mostly boring.

[Carlos_1984 · 2/10 · 14 September 2019]

I was really looking forward to watch this movie. Clown sightings always intrigued me and I was really hopping this movie could make me feel uneasy and creeped out. Unfortunately it fails miserably in everything a scary movie should acomplish. I had the impression that the movie was 2h30 long since I was really bored. No creepy scenes, no eerie atmosphere, no nothing. Even the parts that were supposed to be scary are so lame.

And what the hell was that ending?? If you're looking for answers about the clown identity or why does he just stands there watching people... well, prepare yourself to a "no answers" ending. Seems like they created the story, but as they could not explain it themselves, they just made that uninspired ending.

I really think hard before doing a bad review because even if the movie is bad, it has some amount of effort by the crew and actors. But then again... I didn't feel that they even bothered to write a plot that makes sense. Sorry, but I cannot recommend this movie to anyone, unless I want that person to be bored for 1h30m...

Don't believe the lies.

[lewisburrows-67408 · 2/10 · 12 September 2019]

This movie is not a 7/10 it's a cheap trash cash grab. Horrible acting, horrible writing, executated horribly. Just wait for Wrinkles The Clown.

Atrocious

[richkiel · 1/10 · 25 July 2021]

How do you screw up a found footage film about a creepy clown? Well, you need bad actors to say poorly written lines of dialogue, meaningless subplots, a confused tone, and some ideological crap that is meant to insult people who happen to own guns. In this film, they are raving lunatics who carry guns secretly hoping to kill someone and praying that a situation occurs where they can legally shoot someone dead. Complete rubbish. Half way into the film I almost forgot it was about a clown, it was that confusing.

Gags: Clowning around with fake news!

[babyjaguar · 7/10 · 27 June 2018]

Gags was surprising entertaining and refreshing way of merging clown phobias and the idea of fake news. Its production values looks good and good acting. Apparently the director, Adam Krause and screenwriter, John Pata was inspired by real accounts of a person in California and another person in England who dressed as a clown walking at night, baiting for people take pics of them.

For this film, director Krause took that idea turned it into an interesting fun movie with jump scares and a bit of humor. Some of its cast create memorable characters like the ultra right/social media figure, Charles Wright (played by Aaron Christensen) who goes on a live social media event chase-hunt for Gags. It makes for its funny dialogue!

Recommended it for a fun time and of course clowns are usually creepy, Gags succeeded at being such an enigma. Other characters such as Heater Duprey (played by Lauren Ashley Carter) represent the local public media reportage and channel stations trying to get the latest news of Gaga sightings before the social media coverage does.

Clowns Are Creepy

[gwnightscream · 4/10 · 20 February 2020]

This 2018 horror film features a mysterious clown that appears around Green Bay, Wisconsin. After a couple weeks, the clown nicknamed, Gags is making news around the world where some people find him creepy and others are intrigued. A group of friends, 2 cops, a reporter and a podcast host are the main characters. This is ok until the last 30 minutes or so. It follows in the footsteps of found-footage films like "Cloverfield" with amusing and tense moments as well as an eerie score. Clowns are creepy and if you enjoyed others with them like "It" or "Killer Klowns from Outer Space," you could probably give this a try.

refreshingly unpredictable

[katastrofkatt · 7/10 · 17 September 2019]

I enjoyd this movie far more than i expected to. the acting was pretty good all around and the clown was creepy af. and I apperciate it not having the usual cliches nor the phony hollywood ending. it gets a pretty loud horray from me.

The gags on us

[peterszl · 1/10 · 18 September 2019]

We need so called writers to stop putting in their political beliefs . The slop that was put together to make this had a character that was supposed to be a conservative , this character was made to look like conservatives we're worse than the main killer of the movie ( if you can call it a movie ). Stay away from this movie you will have more of a experience watching paint dry.

Good movie!

[joskia · 10/10 · 11 October 2018]

Just got back home from its premier. Not going to lie I went to it with little hopes it would be any good. Well they proved me wrong, it was good. Normally I am not a fan of the way they did there camera views "not sure what it's called" but it was put together really well and was different in a good way. Way funnier than I thought a horror film could be as well. So for my score it's going to be a bit higher just because I am from Green Bay and want to see these guys do well! It's a solid 6.5 though!

A easy watch

[pachanga-13349 · 6/10 · 28 June 2020]

A few laughs combined with an interesting plot. Certainly no award winner but better than you might expect.

Not really worth it

[jessicartim · 3/10 · 18 March 2020]

Its definitely not the worst found footage out there but... Clowns? Really? I don't think this topic works anymore on anybody. I can see that decent amount of work went in to making this movie, it has its short moments but the main topic makes it just not very enjoyable but really really meh and boring.

Farts the clown(a real review)

[TuesdayThe17th · 2/10 · 8 January 2020]

What stinks is that i am a huge found footage fan and i own literally every found footage movie on DVD including rarities like "Long Pigs" and "June 9" and I must say that "Gags the Clown" is definitely one of the worst I've seen in the genre. Gags is so far from being scary its almost funny. I was expecting to love this movie and I am extremely generous when judging films especially indie low budgeters, however, this movie had ZERO redeeming qualities. I can't believe the green horn director from Green Bay actually used such a well known indie actor like Lauren Ashley Carter in his found footage film... What makes found footage scary is when it feels like it could really happen or when it tricks us for those few minutes of the film where we forget it's fake due to the creep factor and the surrealism....buuuuut "Gags" offers none of this. Watching this Movie made me think of another found footage film i have on blu ray called "388 Arletta Ave".. They are both SO bad and both have absolutely no atmosphere... "Gags" is clearly directed by a dumb founded director and as much as i LOVE and support the industry.., it eerks me when i see trash "horror" like this coming from douchy dudes wearing a doucey smile...a BIG no and an honest review.

Its worth it for a couple truly shining moments

[ncolen · 5/10 · 9 February 2020]

I want to start with some praise for gags. For what seems like a no budget horror passion project/corman esq market share grab, probably shot and assembled rather hastily, this film has some truly shining moments of inventiveness that give some really great creepy imagery (particularly an amazing shot involving a cloud of talc and a man standing like carpenters shape overwhelming the frame with mennace). Had this script had a few more eyes to help streamline and focus the narrative and iron out the kinks in the dialogue (puke and rally?...dude its "boot and rally" unless they are supposed to be fully Canadians and not Americans....) that throw otherwise good scenes a challenge for the performers to try to push through. Honestly its a fun watch if you like schlocky horror but it has moments of potential greatness and i imagine this director and his team have some really awesome pictures in them!

Huh? Good movie crappy ending

[mlhare · 4/10 · 30 October 2021]

I wish the police officers wouldnt have died. It didnt really make sense. The movie itself was pretty good but the ending ruined it for me. The snotty girl lives and while her stepmom dies while looking for her she blasts her. What a bi#@h! I dont really need everything tied up nice and neat but some closure would have been nice.

Creepy even if you are not scared of clowns.

[usn-04599 · 6/10 · 22 August 2020]

I have never wrote a review for a movie before, but I fell like I should for this movie. This is not a typical killer dressed as a clown movie, it has something to creep everyone out. While some of the acting was a little over the top, the plot made up for it. The visual effects were also pretty good for a smaller budget film. Overall it's a very decent movie that I thoroughly enjoyed.

where's the smog...lol

[The-caped-gremlin-hobbies · 2/10 · 5 July 2020]

Gags The Clown 2018. Supposed to be suspense... you know...what you don't see.... scares you (imagination), but ya need extremely good acting for that to work, though if they had more smog slash fog and some creepy back-ground music to distract the viewer then maybe more convincing... lol... however cinematography was good... and clown-suits were good...

'Gags The Clown' (2018)

[mfnmbvp · 6/10 · 23 February 2021]

On the undying quest to view everything "Found Footage", I stumbled across this one on an IMDb Found Footage film list. The premise for this one is nice, the clown is a refreshing take on this particular genre, and the end product comes off as perfectly psychotic blend of Blair Witch and It. Of course, the acting is mediocre at times, and the dialog is somethings ad-libbed, but this all adds to the charm of the film. The setting is creepy & atmospheric at times, the dead-silent shots of what i presume is the real Green Bay, Wisconsin are nice. Those who suffer from a real fear of clowns would be 100% terrified of this movie, there's no doubt in my mind about that. Not exactly a "comedy", at least not intentionally; there doesn't seem to be a lot of pre-scripted humor present. It occasionally loses steam, but otherwise this one was a real pleasure to watch. I don't finish a lot of indie films thinking "Well that was fun", but with this one, I did. Highly recommended.

GAGS THE CLOWN -----6/10.

It gagged alright...

[paul_haakonsen · 2/10 · 5 January 2024]

Of course I opted to sit down and watch this 2018 horror comedy titled "Gags The Clown", as I happened to stumble upon it by random luck here in 2024. Sure, I had never heard about the movie, and thus didn't know what I was in for. And in turn, I had zero expectations to the movie, aside from it being a horror comedy. So writers Adam Krause (whom also directed the movie) and John Pata had every opportunity to entertain me.

And they failed miserably. I managed to suffer through 42 minutes of the 89 minute runtime. Then I just couldn't take anymore of the boredom. The storyline and script in "Gags The Clown", from Adam Krause and John Pata, was anything but entertaining. There was nothing funny in the storyline, nor were there anything scary. So as for "Gags The Clown" being a horror comedy, not so much. This was more like a 'someone had an idea while drunk and opted to bring it to the screen with their home video camera' type of movie.

Needless to say that I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie. However, I will say that some of the performances were actually fair enough, despite the fact that they had next to nothing to work with in terms of a proper script, storyline or character gallery.

There was nothing interesting to be seen on the screen, and even less so in terms of special effects.

If you enjoy horror comedies, like I do, then just skip on "Gags The Clown", because it simply isn't worth the time, money or effort. Some of us suffered through this ordeal, in lesser or greater extend, so you don't have to.

My rating of director Adam Krause's 2018 movie "Gags The Clown" lands on a very generous two out of ten stars.

Entertaining Clown Horror!

[vengeance20 · 8/10 · 21 November 2020]

Seen dozens of clown horror films over the years, some have been hit and miss and some have been ace, this was above average and actually enjoyable.

The film is about a clown called Gags who has become an internet sensation for notoriously wandering around Green Bay scaring the living sht out of people. So with a news crew wanting to get an exclusive, a vigilante wanting to end the terror, some police officers trying to keep the peace and a group of pi$$ taking teens in tow along with other acts of fear going about who will be alive at the end of this mayhem night!?

I found the film to be quite good. Wasn't expecting it to be as good given it's a Straight-To-DVD Film. But it was good! The films chopping & changing approach with the different characters all chasing the same clown was interesting and thrilling as your attention was all over the place trying to follow the carnage as the film went on. The set up sort of reminded me of The Purge: Anarchy minus the found footage theme.

The gore was little, but the opening was very strong in terms of gore, however it didn't bother me all too much due to the lack of gore throughout the rest of the film as the thrilling chase and visuals provided great entertainment. The films dark and sinister approach was also a bonus for me as was the eye candy.

Overall a pretty good found footage clown horror film. 8/10

Spooky clowns scare me!

[morrison-dylan-fan · 6/10 · 7 November 2020]

With the majority of excellent films at the Cine-Excess festival leaning towards the serious, this kooky looking flick stood out like a sore thumb, leading to me going to the big top.

View on the film:

Clowning around in a Green Bay Wisconsin with accents so thick you could spread them on unsold Space Cop Blu-Ray's, co-writer/(with John Pata,who is also editor) director Adam Krause & cinematographer D.J. Kast juggle a macabre jaunty atmosphere with a smooth mix of traditional filming style,and Found Footage snapped from grainy CCTV cameras and shaky web cams catching a glimpse of Gags.

Wisely keeping the title character dialogue-free, Krause holds Gags at mid-range shots for a majority of the movie, which ignites a creepy mood from Gags sudden appearance in the background of shots carrying black death balloons to his next victim.

Cutting exposition that could demystify the monster down to the bone, the screenplay by Pata and Krause bounce social commentary on the frenzy surrounding Gags to the comedic edge, as TV news channels and pod-cast gun-nuts fuel the fear of the clown, as a method to boost their ratings.

Neatly setting up his playthings with a funny scene of a man ranting on TV about finding a Gags photo from the 70's, the writers wrap Gags with a mischievous element of surprise, rolling up those who in disturbing clown music and a self-inflicting zombie state,as Gags gathers all those after him under a murderous big top.

Could have been scary but it wasn't.

[ksgillihan · 4/10 · 12 December 2022]

I didn't really have high hopes for this one, as the reviews were pretty hit and miss. The premise is decent and the material was all there for a truly scary FF film but in the end it just didn't work. I get that clowns are supposed to be funny to some and scary to others but in this film the clown was just a slightly creepy character. They could have made a great film touching on the character of Gags and the surrounding copycats trying to benefit off of him but it just ended up ham-fisted. If they had not decided to put in some "dark humor" it could have worked. I'm not exactly sure if they intended to make part of it funny but that's the way it comes across. They should have ditched the cheesiness and tried to make a serious film. I fell like that would have had a much better chance at succeeding. Overall it was below average.

Not outright bad, but also nothing special

[I_Ailurophile · 5/10 · 21 October 2022]

Neither people nor horror films need to be dressed in any particular way to be creepy and elicit particular reactions, but it doesn't hurt. There have been no shortage of movies made about evil clowns, or movies capitalizing on the trend in the past several years of people in clown suits deliberately provoking with bizarre performance art, and the fear of clowns is a very common one. It's fair to ask if titles jumping on the coulrophobia bandwagon aren't taking a cheap and easy road to making a buck or two, but by the same token, none of this means that a title can't be deserving of its own merits. I like the approach that director Adam Krause and co-writer John Pata adopted for 'Gags the Clown': instead of one discrete narrative, the picture presents a scattered portraiture of people around Green Bay stumbling into the titular figure, investigating them, trying to live their lives despite them, or reacting to the phenomenon. A few consistent and slowly converging threads give loose structure to the proceedings, while apparent attacks dot the length throughout. This perhaps isn't the most groundbreaking or essential flick in the world, but it's duly entertaining, and I'd say better than I'd have assumed sights unseen.

While the production values are frankly bare-faced, glaring almost to the point of hurting one's eyes, I appreciate Krause's direction, and Pata's editing, as the picture bounces back and forth between concurrent scenes and various camera perspectives. With these aspects in mind, any variety of visual or special effects employed at one time or another all look great in helping to build the tableau. Specific scenes, moments, and inclusions are decidedly unsettling as the loose story shows there's more to the clownishness than first meets the eye - though the feature as a whole struggles to build any atmosphere as it swings between eerie goings-on and weak attempts at humor, to say nothing of swinging back and forth between disparate threads. For that matter, many characters are plainly unlikable such that we start cheering for Gags at least in part. The cast all perform admirably with the material they're given, though no one especially stands out except perhaps Lauren Ashley Carter; having loved her in anything I've seen her in, I admit it's possible I'm just predisposed to favor her anyway.

The uneven tone and naked production values are somewhat wearing on one's patience, but at large this is pretty well made. There are still other flaws to note, however, and the one that sticks out most to me is that characters as they present are seemingly written with intelligence that comes and goes. This is to say, for example, that even though Gags maintains the same appearance at all times, some characters emphatically seeking or worried about them loses their composure whenever anyone at all wearing a clown suit appears - even when it's an obviously different one. And while the various elements of the climax are done well, there's so much going on at once (including story ideas that are introduced for the first time) that, at what should or perhaps needs to be the film's strongest point, it instead comes across as unfocused. As if to accentuate the point: when the end credits start rolling, following the violence of the climax, and we're treated to a tongue-in-cheek theme song that is the first unequivocal effort to provide comedy just for the fact of the contrast, the sudden leap is aggravating instead of fun.

I think there are good ideas here, but there are also undeniable flaws and shortcomings that act as proportionate counterweight. I don't think 'Gags the Clown' is altogether bad - I did enjoy myself while watching, at least to some extent - but by no means is it anything special, either. The result is a feature that has its ups and downs and ultimately just kind of languishes in the unremarkable middle. It's satisfactorily enjoyable if you come across it, but unless you're a major fan of someone involved or, why not, movies about clowns, then nor is there any one reason to go out of your way for it. It's alright; would that the writing were just tightened a bit more to keep the picture centered.

Very enjoyable!

[skamt-ml · 7/10 · 3 January 2020]

I went in with the lowest of expectations and was very surprised cause this movie is actually really nice. I love the found footage format and I found this one being well executed. About the recent clown hype, it's not at all my thing but thought that the story went a bit further than just depending on a scary clown. I really recommend this movie to fans of both horror and maybe especially found footage. And yeah read the synopsis and look at the trailer, you can't expect much more than to be entertained, don't expect any cinematic masterpiece. This type of movies are supposed to be wiewed for what it is and this one happens to be very entertaining! Well, except for the ending which I found really disappointing.