The plot = A group of teenagers spends they're time after school fixing up an old theatre, where years ago a young woman got murdered by a clown and now the teenagers start to get picked off one by one.One of the better straight to video slashers to come out of the post scream boom of the late nineties and strangely enough never been released on DVD but yet crap like (Do You Wanna Know A Secret and Lover's Lane) has, odd in my opinion. Okay it's not perfect it does have a few flaws like the acting is a bit ropey and the plot is rather thin and rather muddled at times especially when multiple characters tries on the clown outfit, but however though fun characters the film has ability to win the audience. The teens make up the film, who make a change where it is the jock, not the usual nerd, who is getting made fun of in the film. There is almost a sense of sadness when a majority of the likable teens die.Mainly a cast of unknowns apart from screen veterans Christopher Plummer and Margot Kidder neither has enough screen time, especially Margot Kidder, her character I rather like but every time she's in a horror she dies (Black Christmas and Someone's Watching Me) and this one's no different, but she dies way too soon in this. And of course Tatyana Ali (Fresh Prince Of Bel Air) of course and Ryan Bittle (Todd from Sweet Valley High). But the rest of the cast are unknowns and even though they are typical stereo typical characters such as Walnut the geek, Marty the gay one, Ashley the bitchy cheerleader, Taylor soulless jock, Monica the black girl fodder, George the rebel and Kate the final girl and also doing her best Neve Campbell impression.The death scenes aren't ultra-gory but the directing of Pellerin provides enough suspense, colourful atmosphere and jumps in them to make the gore take a back seat. But sadly the ending was a bit of a disappointment, it didn't go off with bang like I hoped for more of a whimper.All in all a fun entertaining little movie that won't turn anyone in this into big stars, I mean where are they all now, but never the less still a fun waste of time and should be released on DVD.

Group of college students restoring an old run down theater fall victim to a killer dressed in a clown costume from an old opera production. Seems the murders are linked to the death of an opera singer over a decade ago. Spooky, creepy slasher flick isn't as cliched as usual and features a very appealing cast, but some of the gruesome death scenes that emphasize torture are a bit tough to sit through.Rated R; Torture, Extreme Violence, Profanity, Nudity, and Sexual Situations.

"The Clown at Midnight" is an enjoyable slasher,which owes a lot to Michele Soavi's brilliant "Deliria"(1987).It has some genuinely creepy moments,a scary looking clown killer plus a pretty gruesome death scenes.It's well-acted and competently made,unfortunately any traces of originality are completely gone.There's also not enough gore for my liking.The mystery element isn't spectacular either!All in all,I still enjoyed this one-it's certainly better than such crap like "I Know What You Did Last Summer","School's Out" or "Urban Legend",but I wouldn't go so far to call this one a masterpiece.It's a solid piece of horror-nothing more,nothing less!6 out of 10.

Slasher films tended to go downhill after their popular run in the 80's. Occasionally, in the 90's, a worthy horror film would pop up, but with the release of 1996's blockbuster "SCREAM", the genre got the well deserved regain in popularity that it needed. However, with the late 90's horror film explosion, something was missing. The charm and effect of the 80's slasher was lost in the huge Hollywood budgets and hip young casts that have become fixtures of recent horror films. "The Clown at Midnight" is an exception to this rule. With a relatively unknown cast of teens (the exception is "French Prince of Bel-Air) actress Tatayani Ali) and a foreboding setup, it manages to develop into a well crafted, well acted, creepy horror film that evokes the atmosphere and effectiveness of some of the best slashers of the 80's. The plot centers around young Kate Williams (Sara Lassez), whose mother was brutally murdered in an opera house years before. Her and some of her classmates volunteer to clean up the same opera house to prepare it for their college music department. Well, needless to say, an unpleasant time awaits each of them as a killer dressed as a clown locks them in the downright creepy building and kills them in very grim ways.The Good: The film looks great. The direction is sharp, the lighting perfect, and the film stock high quality. In fact, it looks better than some of the films that have made it into the theaters recently. The plot is interesting enough, and though each character is a cliché (the jock, the bitch, the brain) the actors pull them off quite well and make us connect to them. Better yet, they are actually teenagers and not thirty year olds trying to act like teenagers. Margot Kidder and Christopher Plummer also put in strong cameos and give the film a sense of credibility. What is interesting is that the most likable characters are disposed of in the most gruesome ways which does provide some slight emotional impact. As mentioned, the setting is creepy and very effective and the killer clown lurking around is unsettling. But what I liked most about the film is the atmosphere and the fact that it doesn't try to be anything other than a slasher film. There are no comedic undertones, no over-the-top characters, just pure stalk and slash very reminiscent of the 80's. It really is one of the better post-"Scream" slasher films that actually is extremely competent and enjoyable.The Bad: Very little, actually. Clichés do abound and it really isn't THAT hard to figure out who the killer really is. We also know from the first frame who the surviving girl will be, so any early stalk scenes with her are ineffective because we know she won't die. The ending leaves a lot to be desired and seems rushed. There really could have been a longer chase sequence and the whole "Popcorn" inspired final minute were unnecessary because, again, we know how who will live. The are some gruesome deaths, but most of them are very tame. This probably won't please gore hounds.It seems this film has become quite rare. As of now, it is only available on VHS and I don't think a DVD release is planned for anytime soon. But I highly recommend this film to you lovers of the 80's stalk and slash films because overall it is an well-made and enjoyable film.My Grade: B+