Alice Oscura, Featured Writer
Plot: A young married couple from North Carolina embark on producing a documentary based on the famous 2016 evil clown sightings across America.
Review: Based on the unsettling 2016 evil clown sightings reported in the USA, Behind the Sightings is a horror movie shot found-footage style. This is not a movie for those who experience coulrophobia (a debilitating fear of clowns). One must admit the portrayals of clowns as terrifying and negative characters in popular forms of entertainment are almost directly responsible for the increased public fear when one encounters a clown in real life. Think about it for a second—most of us have had our childhood memories marred by Stephen King’s clown Pennywise from his 1986 horror novel It. The fact that the clown can be used to lure children to their impending doom is one of the main reasons for that sense of alarm and panic that arose during those 2016 sightings.
We also cannot forget that infamous serial killer who was referred to as the “Killer Clown” and officially performed as “Pogo the Clown”. My true crime fans would automatically know I am referring to none other than John Wayne Gacy. Another alarming connection relates to the dark origins of clowns which is touched on during the film. Don’t miss that scene because it begins to set the creepy, building-up-to-something-bad-is-going-to-happen tone for the film.
I must admit that I am not a huge fan of found footage horror films like The Blair Witch Project (1999) or the Paranormal Activity franchise. Most of the time the shaking camera and overacting annoy me so much that I am unable to follow the actual story. However, in this case, I found myself getting sucked into the story (despite the not-so-great acting skills) since I was able to make a real connection to the twisted use of clown costumes being used to carry out horrific crimes. However, the plot hints at a more sinister connection to the evil clowns as a supernaturally-kept secret. This was one of the areas that remained a bit unclear to me. But one thing is for certain and that’s the caution of meddling with things that you don’t understand, especially after several warning signs.
It’s easy, however, to let curiosity get the best out of you, especially when you are exploring a field that you are deeply passionate about. However, one must not throw caution to the wind but instead find a balance while setting limitations.
Despite receiving particularly low reviews online, I would still recommend that my fellow horror buffs out there take a look at this one. It’s an entertaining but creepy low-budget horror that’s not going to encourage a positive perception of clowns anytime soon.
Alice’s Score: 6 out of 10
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Dark Alice has an old soul and a curious mind. I believe that anyone can be a hero and that the good guys should always win! I dislike cruelty to animals and think that they have far superior qualities to humans. My motto is there is no future without the past. I also have a weird penchant for Paranormal TV shows even though the slightest sound makes me jump. I enjoy writing reviews and throwing in fun facts to pique the readers’ curiosity. My ultimate goal in life would be to become a published writer one day. Read More