Killer Klowns From Outer Space Co-Creator Breaks Down Why SYFY Sequel Plans Fell Apart

The following of the horror-comedy Killer Klowns from Outer Space seems to grow more passionate with each passing year, making it seem like the perfect property to revive with a new installment, and while the creators the Chiodo brothers got close to that becoming a reality, Stephen Chiodo recently detailed how things came close with SYFY in 2018, only for the project to be abandoned due to only being offered a minimal budget. Despite the network having delivered genre fans a number of compelling projects over the years, finances seem to be tight at the network, with this report echo remarks about the network passing on the long-awaited return of Kevin Bacon to the Tremors series, which they reportedly passed on due to its production costs.

“There was a deal… MGM controls the rights… and they went to SYFY,” Chiodo shared with the Slasher Radio podcast. “They did Critters, and you saw what that turned out to be like. But they wanted to do Klowns for like two million [dollars]. And we don’t want to do that… we did it for two million back in the ’80s. So we didn’t want to do it. And even MGM didn’t want to do it… they said it was a more valuable property than just signing off for that little money.”

When the film hit theaters back in 1988, it didn’t make a major impact, but when it eventually landed on home video in the ’90s, its following began to grow, to the point that even Universal Studios began honoring the film at their annual Halloween Horror Nights in recent years.

While this reveal is surely frustrating, it’s at least relieving to know how close we got to seeing a sequel move forward and that it was a financial hangup as opposed to being due to any creative conflicts. Additionally, a sequel at SYFY likely would have come with some constrictions to the overall quality and denied the Chiodo brothers the freedom they might want.

Stephen Chiodo previously expressed that if fans want to see a follow-up, they need to let their voices be heard.

“Look, MGM controls Killer Klowns. If [fans] write MGM and say, ‘Where’s our sequel? Where’s that property?’” Chiodo shared with ComicBook.com last year. “There’s so many ways they can exploit this thing. It’s really the fan base. The fan base has to be more vocal to MGM more than us, because they control it. But I’m just so happy. That was a project that, we just wanted to make a film that we loved. Again, Forbidden Planet, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, all the films that we loved is thrown into that. And I’m really pleased that people responded to it.”

Stay tuned for details on the possible future of the Killer Klowns from Outer Space franchise.

Are you disappointed that sequel never happened at SYFY? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!