Kevin Kangas and Cast Continue to Grow

I was one of the many detractors of Fear of Clowns. The original movie was laughably bad, but it was original and fun. My friends and I considered it a modern-day Plan 9 From Outer Space. Unlike Ed Wood, however, Kevin Kangas is not certifiably insane. He is a filmmaker who has dived into show business and has been swimming for his life since 2002's Hunting Humans. With Fear of Clowns 2, Kangas and friends have hit their stride. Despite some unfortunate severed head prosthetics, FOC 2 is an improvement in every way to the original. The pacing and storytelling are tighter and more clear and concise. The scenes are actually lit! David Mun, who shot both films, takes more chances with interesting camera movements that actually help the story rather than distract from it (FOC 1 was much clumsier). The improvement of the performances by both Mark Lassise ("Shivers the Clown") and Frank Lama ("Detective Peters") is astounding. Mr. Lassise is given much more believable dialogue (the little of it he delivers) and is placed in more interesting situations with both his adversaries and cohort clowns. Jacky Reres was the highlight of the first film, and she delivers a consistently solid performance here as well. Performances by Phillip Levine and Clarence McNatt as "Shivers" serial killer buddies are fantastic! In fact, I would have liked to have seen more of Mr. Levine's manic performance as "Fred". A hilarious performance by first-timer David Wooters as "Old Man Horner" offers one of the best moments in the film. I recommend that anyone who is interested in the evolution of filmmakers and actors study the evolving career of Kevin Kangas.

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