THE KILLJOY COLLECTION

Yes indeed, all of the Full Moon-distributed KILLJOY films have been gathered together into one 2-disc DVD set from 88 Films...

Disc one opens with the original KILLJOY film, from 2000.

In director Craig Ross Jr's film, nerdish Michael (Jamal Grimes) skulks around his Los Angeles ghetto, mustering the courage to occasionally speak coyly to his secret object of affection, pretty Jada (Vera Yell). Unfortunately this incenses her boyfriend, Snoop Dog-lookalike Lorenzo (William L Johnson).

Lorenzo gives Michael a good hiding and warns him away from his girl.

Later that night, after we've witnessed Michael indulging in a one-man black magic ritual on the floor of his apartment, he encounters Lorenzo and his lackeys once again. This time the thugs force Michael into their car and drive him to somewhere remote, where he's battered again ... and then shot dead by Lorenzo.

One year later, Lorenzo and his gang of free-shagging, drug-dealing, hardcore hoodlums are visited by a freaky-looking clown in an ice-cream van. And all thugs love ice-cream, don't they...?

Sadly for them, this Ronald MacDonald doppelganger is actually none other than Killjoy (Angel Vargas) - a demon hell-bent on making these fuck-ups pay for their misdeeds.

The hoodlums hold their own unexpectedly well, but all other performances are pretty dire in this very cheap production. Overly dark photography is often ugly; Carl Washington's script is as dumb as it is predictable, its only hints at authenticity being the liberal F-bombs no doubt cribbed from a viewing of MENACE II SOCIETY.

The clown get-up is oddly striking, I suppose, but there's rarely any genuine threat felt: KILLJOY is a bad film, low on gore and bereft of suspense. At least it's short at only 70 minutes in length. The only surprise it's capable of delivering is that sequels were subsequently made.

Speaking of which, Full Moon Pictures and Tempe Entertainment teamed to produce Tammi Sutton's sequel, KILLJOY 2: DELIVERANCE FROM EVIL, in 2002.

This starts like a TV cop drama from the 70s, complete with funky music and white cops chasing a black drug dealer. There appears to be some attempt here at breaking the world record for the number of times a film can fit the phrase "shut the fuck up" into a single scene.

Following from that, we're introduced to a couple driving a bus full of teenaged delinquents on their way to renovate an old shelter as part of their community service orders. Cue lots of attitude from these "bad ass" motherfuckers.

But, wait. Parking up in a dodgy neighbourhood so the hungry young rascals can eat is surely not a good idea. Nope, it's not - and soon enough the titular demon has once again been resurrected (portrayed this time by B-movie regular Trent Haaga) to kill the most stupid off one-by-one.

Remarkably, this first sequel is even more cheap and tacky than its predecessor. The script is risible; the camerawork and editing are the work of amateurs in a rush. And just wait until you hear the belief-defying 'Killjoy' song over the end credits. Devoid of tension, atmosphere or sympathetic characters, it is - in two words - fucking awful.

Over on disc two, we get KILLJOY 3 and KILLJOY GOES TO HELL. And, guess what? It things get marginally better...

In the third instalment, which didn't surface until 2010, writer-director John Lechago puts some thought into how to expand the Killjoy myth while also proffering more on the evil clown's background.

Haaga returns as the vengeful demon, this time trapped in his own realm and therefore committed to tricking a group of hapless youths into joining him there via a magic mirror which also serves as an otherworldly portal. It sounds daft and it is - the script knowingly reflects this.

There's also clearly a very limited budget at play here, though Lechago does elicit some style and atmosphere from several scenes. It also helps that he introduces a few other weirdo creatures to the fray - my favourite being the creepy Freakshow (Tai Chan Ngo).

The violence is upped in this one too, if not exactly the dramatic rush. The urban/black angle has largely been forgotten about by now too. Still, while no classic by any stretch, part 3 certainly improves upon what came before.

2012's GOES TO HELL (a.k.a. KILLER CLOWN) offers something than the earlier instalments forgot too: consistency. The demonic clown sidekicks - alongside Freakshow, this includes Batty (Victoria De Mare) and Punchy (Al Burke) - return, as does part 3's surviving protagonist Sandie (Jessica Whitaker). Haaga plays the lead once more; Lechago is back on board as writer and director.

Here, Killjoy is found in Hell's prison (following a plot detail revealing in the preceding chapter ...) for not being evil enough. Blighted with an ineffectual lawyer named Skidmark (John Karyus), the twattish clown is tasked with bringing in the survivor of his last killing spree - Sandie - in order to redeem himself among his dastardly peers.

Though arguably lighter in tone than the rest of the series, HELL also boasts the best script, acting and production values. As a standalone film it's actually passable. It's certainly the best the series has to offer. Though don't mistake that for greatness...

The films are all presented in their original aspect ratios (anamorphic 1.78:1 for parts 1 and 2; 16x9 1.85:1 for parts 3 and 4) and uncut. Picture quality is decent enough in general, though the skidrow production qualities do throw up their share of issues. Grainy, uneven darker scenes, blocking in some shadows, some minor digital ghosting on occasion. Don't get me wrong, this is the best these films have looked - but they're never likely to look spectacular, on account of their mega low budgets and the fact that not a great deal of talent has been involved in their conceptions ...

Audio-wise, it's English stereo across the board. There's nothing to complain about here.

Both discs open to static main menus, and include individual animated scene selection menus for each film allowing access via 6 chapters apiece.

Extras on disc one include trailers for both films (roughly 2 minutes each), and a Full Moon "Videozone" featurette for the first episode.

In the 12-minute "Videozone", Ross Jr invites us to see how the film was made and experience "the magic of Hollywood". Yeah, right. Still, we get some decent cast and crew interviews, along with engaging behind-the-scenes footage of a film designed to put black people "in front of the camera as well as behind the camera".

The usual 88 Films trailer reel on this occasion includes previews for PUPPET MASTER, PUPPET MASTER 2, PUPPET MASTER 3: TOULON'S REVENGE, CASTLE FREAK, THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM, DEMONIC TOYS, TWO MOON JUNCTION, BLOODSUCKING FREAKS, BLOODY BIRTHDAY, DOLLMAN and TOURIST TRAP.

Over on disc two, we get trailers for both of the latter sequels (watching both will take up just over 3 minutes of your life), along with "Videozone" featurettes for KILLJOY 3 - 16 minutes - and GOES TO HELL - 6 minutes. Both are slick but rather unnecessary 'making of' pieces.

The KILLJOY series is a weird one (who'd have ever thought the original mess would result in a franchise?). Are they essential additions to your DVD collection? That depends on (a) your tolerance of cheap trash, and (b) your need to own EVERY Full Moon/88 Films release. If nothing else, you're getting four films for the price of one - so I suppose this represents a bargain of sorts...

By Stuart Willis