Killjoy (film series)

Killjoy
A double feature containing the first two films.
Directed byCraig Ross
Tammi Sutton
John Lechago
Written byCarl Washington
Douglas Snauffer
Tammi Sutton
John Lechago
StarringÁngel Vargas
Trent Haaga
CinematographyCarl Bartels
Balthazar Jones
Terrance Ryker
Edited byCraig Ross
Don Adams
Henry Gordon Jago
Music byRichard Kosinski
Jon Greathouse
Michael Sean Colin
Distributed byFull Moon Entertainment
Full Moon Features
Release date
2000–present
Running time
220 minutes (combined total)
CountriesUnited States
China
LanguageEnglish
Budget$180,000 (combined total of first two films)

Killjoy is an American slasher film series which focuses on the titular Killjoy, a demonic clown who is summoned to assist revenge plots in all five films, only to prove too overwhelming for each character who calls him.

Films

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Year Film Director Writer Producer
2000 Killjoy Craig Ross Carl Washington Mel Johnson, Jr. & Charles Band
2002 Killjoy 2: Deliverance from Evil Tammi Sutton Tammi Sutton Charles Band & J. R. Bookwalter
2010 Killjoy 3 John Lechago John Lechago Charles Band
2012 Killjoy Goes to Hell
2016 Killjoy’s Psycho Circus
2019 Bunker of Blood 07: Killjoy’s Carnage Caravan Craig Ross Brockton McKinney Mel Johnson, Jr.

Produced by Full Moon Features, the series was established in 2000 with the eponymous first installment, starring Ángel Vargas. A sequel, Killjoy 2: Deliverance from Evil, followed in 2002, which saw Trent Haaga replace Vargas for the role of Killjoy due to Vargas being busy with other projects. In spite of the negative reception of both films, Full Moon filmed a third installment while shooting Puppet Master: Axis of Evil in China, and in 2010 Killjoy 3 was released. Haaga reprised his role for Killjoy 3, eight years after the release of the previous film.

The original film was essentially an effort in the blaxploitation genre, and this was carried over to a lesser extent in Deliverance from Evil. Both of these films consisted of a largely African American cast; however, this element was greatly diminished for Killjoy 3, which was presented as something of a teen-slasher film. The titular character, as a clown, makes a number of crude jokes throughout the first two installments, but Killjoy 3 appears to be a genuine effort in black comedy. The third installment was also a first in establishing that Killjoy can be summoned through a blood pact; two different spoken rituals are used in the earlier films. The first film had a significantly more generous budget than its sequel, at a projected $150,000, dwarfing the $30,000 budget of Deliverance from Evil.

Full Moon Features launched a Kickstarter in early August 2014 to help raise funds for their upcoming movie named Killjoy's Psycho Circus. The company announced that the Kickstarter would raise $60,000 while the company itself would add another $100,000 to make sure the series was produced. Full Moon set a one-month limit to raise their funds. The Kickstarter ended on September 3, 2014 and was unsuccessful.[1] Charles Band has been quoted as saying that this is the company's way of experimenting and bringing their brand into the modern way of filmmaking.[citation needed] The film eventually premiered on October 30, 2016, on the El Rey Network.

Characters

[edit]
Characters Film
Killjoy Killjoy 2: Deliverance from Evil Killjoy 3 Killjoy Goes to Hell Killjoy's Psycho Circus Bunker of Blood 07: Killjoy's Carnage Caravan
2000 2002 2010 2012 2016
Killjoy Angel Vargas Trent Haaga Angel Vargas / Trent Haaga
Jada Vera Yell
Jamal Lee Marks
Monique "D" Austin
Michael Jamal Grimes Quentin Miles
T-Bone Corey Hampton
Baby Boy Rani Goulant
Kahara Napiera Danielle Groves
Homeless Man Arthur Burghardt
Lorenzo William L. Johnson
Singer Penny Ford
Tamara Dionelle Rochelle
Ray Jackson Carl Washington
Nic Charles Austin
Charlotte Olimpia Fernandez
Denise Martinez Debbie Rochon
Harris Redding Logan Alexander
Eddie Jermaine Cheeseborough
Ce-Ce Nicole Pulliam
Kadja Rhonda Claerbaut
Ray-Ray Choice Skinner
Batty Boop Victoria De Mare
Sandie Jessica Whitaker
Rojer Michael Rupnow
Zilla Spiral Jackson
Erica Olivia Dawn York
Punchy Al Burke
Freakshow Tai Chan Ngo
The Professor Darrow Igus
Skid Mark John Karyus
Beelzebub Stephen Cardwell
Detective Ericson Jason Robert Moore
Detective Grimley Cecil Burroughs
Dr. Simmons Randy Mermell
Baliff Ian Roberts
Scribe Jim Tavaré
Samantha Victoria Levine
Jezebel Lauren Lash
Handy Tim Chizmar
Luann Robin Sydney

Reception

[edit]

Jimmy Totheo of JoBlo expressed that the series is "cheesy b-movie goodness".[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Killjoy's Psycho Circus Horror series, FullMoonStreaming.com by Charles Band — Kickstarter".
  2. ^ "Nick Groff Investigates... IT and Creepy Clown Sightings!". 27 August 2019.
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