Amusement [Import]

When a horror movie posts a creepy looking clown on the cover odds are I'm going to check it out. When looking at scary movies with clowns only Clownhouse, It, & Killer Klowns from Outer Space are real standouts for my taste. Despite that fact I still tend to check out all these weak clown horror attempts in hopes of finding a classic. Unfortunately in this case the clown on the cover was something to lure you in since it only played a role for about 10 minutes of the film. I've noticed this is a pretty common complaint about the film and overall will aid in more negative reviews.

The film turns out to consist of a few different poorly written stories all tying together at the end. The first story is about a girl Shelby & her boyfriend rob as they become part of a disastrous convey trip. The second is the best part of the film where the clown appears for the first and only time while a girl named Tabitha is babysitting. The third installment is a girl Lisa who goes home with a guy after a night at the bar to never come home again. Now all the girls in the stories wind up being linked through a ridiculous situation back in elementary school along with their killer.

It's pretty much a waste of an hour and a half with very few enjoyable parts. The killer himself is so pathetic there is no way you could find him scary. He has this annoying laugh he does through that becomes so annoying you want jump through the tv and strangle him. It wasn't all terrible though thanks to the girls in the story. All 3 actresses did a really solid job with Tabitha(Katheryn Winnick) leading the pack by being the most believable. The clown segment itself was pretty creepy and should have been the premise for the entire film. If they had focused primarily on the killer being dressed up as the clown the film would've had a better chance at success.

If you're reading this review, it is because (1) You are thinking about watching this movie but are skeptical as to whether or not you should, or (2) You have already seen it and want to see what other people think. If you (1), take this to heart. I just got done watching this movie and it did absolutely nothing for me.
Amusement doesn't draw you in whatsoever. All the principles of a good movie are completely absent. There is no rise of action, no climax, it just simply keeps the same pace the whole movie. I can respect the attempted story line, as it does make an attempt at a thick plot, but it completely fails. The scenes don't seem to connect and it turns out to be really sloppy. This is honestly all i got from tihs movie: A weirdo from back in grade school seeks revenge (for whatever reason, motives are never revealed) This guy just dresses up as different people and puts on acts then, as you probably guessed, he reveals himself and laughs an obnoxious laugh. Seriously, he laughs this entire movie. This movie should be called "Annoying Laughter".
The best part of this movie is towards the end... While he is in the act, the main girl (I think) starts laughing, he is immediately touched by this laughter and frees her from her restraints and for a moment there is a romantic and touching connection between the two. Haha that was amusing. This is not a Clown killer movie by any means. Don't let the cover fool you. Well, you have been warned, if you ignore this review and proceed to rent or buy this movie, this review will soon become a painful reality for you. Don't say i didn't tell you so.

This is another unfortunate example of better-than-average horror films being shunted off a theatrical release schedule, while we have to suffer through other films of a lesser quality. Amusement, while it was indeed sparingly advertised as a horror film, can be viewed more as a thriller than anything else. Presented as three connected shorts before merging into one story in the last act, the film tells the tale of a deeply disturbed villain unleashing a well-planned act of vengeance against three young women from his past.

The film is fun and has some surprisingly clever moments, but at the same time it does ask the viewer to put a lot of thought into the motivations of the villain. This is something that isn't common in slasher films (which Amusement does turn into towards the end, at least to a point), and as such unless you're prepared to wax philosophical after the credits finish rolling this may not be the right movie for you.

Aside from its quirks Amusement sports solid acting from most of its cast, in particular Kier O'Donnell who provides a chilling villain in The Laugh. One of the film's weakest points, however, happens to be what little gore is used in the film. For a movie that prides itself on atmosphere and set-pieces, the completely CGI gore scenes are jarring and quite honestly detract from the movie. Things would've been smoother had they taken the time to use old-school makeup effects to bring the violence to life.

Overall, despite the disjointed plot and over-reliance on CGI to provide the movie's scarce visceral shocks, Amusement stands as fun way to spend 85 min.