Coulrophobia

Director - Nate Coulombe
Starring - Benito Garcia and Megan Shepherd
Release Date - 2015
Genre - Horror
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

      If you read my review for Kruel then you may remember me explaining what coulrophobia really is.  For those of you that did not read that, then fuck you.  Coulrophobia is the crippling fear of clowns which is something far more common than you would know.  A lot of people has the television adaptation of Stephen King's IT to thank for that.  Anyway, one day I was browsing through the horror groups on Facebook when I came across the post for the indie short Coulrophobia by director Nate Coulombe.  I was curious about the film and reached out to him about it.  He told me a little about the short and then was nice enough to send a review copy of the film my way.  I didn't know much about the film but I was happy to check it out.  Thanks Nate for hooking me up.
     The film begins 25 years ago when a young boy and his family is getting ready to go on vacation.  On the way they get in a crash and his parents is killed.  Right before he blacks out he sees a clown peek in the window and then he loses consciousness.  Since then he has had an incredible fears of clowns.  We jump to present day and that young man is at a party and hooks up with a little hottie.  She takes a liking to him and asks to hook up again the next night but because she to work early the next day she asks if she can spend the night.  He agrees and she reveals that she is a party clown.  His gets turned inside out by this and she starts working with him to overcome his fears of clowns and eventually dresses up as one to fuck.  He starts pounding her while flash backs pop in and out of his head resulting in him killing her.
     Very few films are able to actually terrify the audience using clowns resulting in lackluster flicks.  Most are awkward to watch and the clowns are not that effective at bringing chills.  Coulrophobia is a film that does not try to scare the viewer with clowns but shows the impact the fear can have on someone and the horror that person can do.  The acting in this one is pretty fucking top notch by the film's stars Benito Garcia and Megan Shepherd.  The two have amazing on screen chemistry and from my understanding they are a real life couple.  They both feed very well off each other.  Plus, it helps that Megan Shepherd is fucking hot.  The story for this short uses it's time wisely.  It sets the story, which is fun, up very quickly and then builds at a good pace throughout the short.  The story may not be that original but it is fun.  Sadly, it is not that scary or terrifying but that does not stop this beautifully shot short from packing a punch.  Finally, the film has one on screen death, as well as, two that happen off.  The one on screen kill is rather boring but the two that take place off screen have fantastic effects that are some of the best I have seen this year.  Overall, Coulrophobia is a well shot short that has some chilling scenes but lack real horror.  With that being said, the story still pulls the viewer in and entertains.  Check this one out!