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Clown

Clown

The kids aren't alright.

2014100 minRMidcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
Director
Jon Watts
Starring
Andy Powers, Laura Allen, Peter Stormare, Christian Distefano

A loving father finds a clown suit for his son's birthday party, only to realize the suit is part of an evil curse that turns its wearer into a killer.

Where to watch

Where can I watch Clown?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Clown streaming on Netflix and to rent or buy on Apple TV.

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about Clown?

Clown earns 7 badges, led by Halloween pick and Seriously scary.

  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Content

Reception

Is Clown worth watching?

Clown's Midcredits score is the 26th percentile of all films, from 95K ratings across 5 sources. 32% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

26th percentile

Better received than 26% of films

48th percentile among Fantasy27th percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)28th
Approval (how many liked it)26th

55 /100

28th percentile of all films

55th percentile among Fantasy31st percentile among 2010s

Critics 42 · Audience 56

Audiences liked it more than critics did.

Rating distribution

A broad spread centered near 5.8 — solid but not unanimous.

32% liked it

26th percentile of all films

46th percentile among Fantasy25th percentile among 2010s
32% rated it 7–1068% rated it 1–6

Critics 46% · Audience 38%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of critics approved than audiences.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 0 Oscar noms · 0 wins / 2 noms overall

95th percentile

95K ratings across platforms

94th percentile among Fantasy95th percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 54% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$1.5M
Opening weekend$27K
Domestic gross$55K
Worldwide gross$4.4M

Returned 2.9× its budget — 62nd percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

The film has an intriguing and original premise, but it's marred by uneven execution, particularly in pacing and character depth.

Fans praised

  • original demon-possessed clown suit premise
  • effective creepy transformation and eerie atmosphere
  • solid lead performances from Andy Powers and Laura Allen

Detractors panned

  • cheesy dialogue and overused jump scares
  • lackluster acting from supporting cast and child actors
  • slow start and uneven pacing that loses momentum

What stands out

OriginalityDivisive70

Fresh take on killer clown concept, but some familiar tropes

Effects and spectacle70

Great practical gore and makeup, memorable kills

AtmosphereDivisive60

Eerie and unsettling tone, undercut by jump scares

ActingDivisive55

Lead performances praised, but supporting and child actors criticized

Plot and storyDivisive55

Original premise but predictable and clichéd execution

PacingDivisive45

Starts slow, loses momentum in the middle, frantic finale

CharactersDivisive40

Forgettable supporting characters and underdeveloped family dynamics

Dialogue35

Cheesy and stereotypical lines

Preferred by

No notable difference between any of the groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 9 points apart
  • Under-30s vs over-30s 7 points apart
  • Critics vs users 8 points apart
  • US vs non-US 4 points apart

Watch experience

What is Clown like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Scary: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready for heavy feelings, and you want to be scared.

It is intense and leaves you unsettled. Skip it when you want an easy night.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Room for heavy feelings.

What it feels like

Scary.

The answer rests on this: Moods
DreadTense
Heaviest: throughout
Register
Bleak · 8% of filmsBrutal · 7% of filmsBrooding: Heavy, inward, weather-beaten.
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
TonePlayed straight as a grim possession horror with unflinching gore.
The rideA sustained atmosphere of dread and tension as the curse gradually takes hold of the father.
StructureConventional narrative following Kent's deterioration and the family's struggle.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Unsettled.

UnsettlingHaunting · 14% of films
Why it leaves you this wayLeaves a lingering discomfort from its depiction of a loving father becoming a child-eating demon.
How it ends · evidence
Ambiguous ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Monster
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21% (this title): Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1% (this title)
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Overcoming the monster: A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated. · Inner demon: The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.

21% of films fit this archetype

A loose fit — the map only half-holds this one.

Why this archetypeA father dons a cursed clown suit that slowly possesses him, turning him into a child-eating demon.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27% (this title): Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% (this title) · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% (this title) · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Bonds

Parenthood · 2% of filmsIdentity · 14% of films
Warns its theme: Presents its theme as a danger or a coming cost.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Single lead
How it treats its themeA loving father's efforts to provide for his family are twisted by a cursed costume, exploring how parenthood can be threatened by external evil and internal transformation.
StanceThe film warns of the perils that can arise from even well-intentioned acts when supernatural forces interfere with family bonds.

The world

ContemporarySuburbanDomesticHorror supernatural
Orchestral modernAmbientSupportive music · original score · Matt Veligdan
Settinga suburban home and its surroundings
MusicThe score likely uses dissonant strings and ambient textures to build unease.

Content guide

Is Clown okay for kids?

R

Clown is rated R: “Rated R for horror violence and gore, and for language” (MPAA). As of September 28, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at severe (98/100), sexual content at minimal (12/100), language at intense (67/100), drug and alcohol content at mild (21/100) and frightening material at severe (93/100). Overall it is heavier than 86% of R-rated films.

Ratings in 11 other countries
  • UK18
  • AustraliaR 18+
  • Germany18
  • France12
  • JapanR15+
  • Argentina+16
  • MexicoB-15
  • PhilippinesR-13
  • Poland18
  • Spain18
  • Sweden15
Overall
Intense · all five categories
Heavier than 91% of all filmsHeavier than 86% of R-rated films
Violence & Gore
Severe
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 99%
Sex & Nudity
None / Minimal
light for an R-rated film
heavier than 6%
Profanity
Intense
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 52%
Alcohol & Drugs
Mild
light for an R-rated film
heavier than 7%
Frightening / Intense
Severe
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 97%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

The reason to think twice is violence, frightening material, and language. Everything else sits at or below what R-rated films usually carry.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does Clown have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Clown?

Cast

Andy Powers
as Kent
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Laura Allen
as Meg
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Peter Stormare
as Karlsson
Veteran: 15 or more years in, with as much work as the typical long-career actor.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Christian Distefano
as Jack
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Chuck Shamata
as Walt
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Elizabeth Whitmere
as Denise
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Victor Cornfoot
as Dave
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.
Lucas Kelly
as Colton
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.
Matthew Stefiuk
as Detective
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Michael Riendeau
as Robbie Pickering

Crew

More like this

What are movies like Clown?

Movies like Clown include Grace (2009), Amityville: The Awakening (2017) and The Hand (1981). Of the 12 closest matches, several are body horror films, and most are films about parenthood.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

10 of these 12 share its world: small-town America. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with Clown?

658 other films share the rarest tag below, kind of film: body horror. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.