The Big Picture
- The Last Circus is a unique killer clown film that blends dark comedy, horror, and drama in a surreal and psychedelic way.
- The film is set during the brutal dictatorship of General Francisco Franco in Spain and explores themes of identity, resentment, and fascism.
- With its campy B-movie charm, violent scenes, and allegorical storytelling, The Last Circus offers a compelling and off-the-wall cinematic experience.
Killer clown movies are always fun! Who doesn't love to see a symbol of innocence and whimsy get drenched in the blood of their victims? Ever since Stephen King wrote It, clowns have taken on a dual personality in popular culture where, on the one hand, they reflect comedy and cheer, and on the other, trigger a fight or flight response in viewers, disturbed by what predatory evil can hide behind their false facade of unsettling smiles and slapstick gags. There's just something so compelling about the idea of clowns committing evil acts, in part because the makeup and clothing fall into the uncanny valley, and partly because their personas reflect the opposite of evil: bringing cheer to children. This contrast between looks and intentions is what makes clowns such interesting villains, and is why "killer clowns" is, in itself, a prolific slasher subgenre, This includes movies like It,Clown, Killer Klowns From Outer Space, Terrifier. However, if you want to see a unique take on the concept of nefarious killer clowns, then look no further than the black comedy dramaThe Last Circus.
Originally titled A Sad Trumpet Ballad, this early-2010s film is a cult classic in its home country of Spain and comes courtesy of Spanish cinema icon Alex de la Iglesia, known nowadays for 30 Coins: one of streaming's campiest B-movie horror shows. What makes The Last Circus stand out from the ocean of killer clown slashers is that it's not merely a slasher. It's a dark horror comedy, surrealist drama that's difficult to define. Despite all of its hyperactive energy, B-movie camp, and bouts of body horror, The Last Circus is actually closest to a Shakespearean tragedy. Sure, it's odd for a killer clown movie to be described that way, but we're dealing with a unique film here. Lauded and awarded by the B-movie connoisseur of Hollywood himself, Quentin Tarantino, for best direction and best screenplay at the 2010 Venice Film Festival, The Last Circus is something special despite being far from perfect.
The Last Circus
RComedyDramaHorrorA young trapeze artist must decide between her lust for Sergio, the Happy Clown, or her affection for Javier, the Sad Clown, both of whom are deeply disturbed.
- Release Date
- December 17, 2010
- Director
- Alex de la Iglesia
- Cast
- Carlos Areces , Antonio de la Torre , Carolina Bang , Manuel Tallafé
- Runtime
- 107 minutes
What Is 'The Last Circus' About?
To summarize The Last Circus in a manner that could be used to sell the film to American audiences would be "Joker meets Pan's Labrynth." The film tells the story of a once-innocent, somewhat naive man being turned into a murderous clown of chaos by the society that surrounds him. Put more accurately, this is the closest thing we'll ever get to a Spanish Joker film, but the comparison to Guillermo Del Toro'swartime dramaPan's Labrynth is where most of the analytical meat of this movie lay, as both films share a common motif: A tale of magical realism set during the very real, very brutal dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, a regime that ruled over Spain with an iron fist for 40 years, and whose shadow is still cast over Spanish society today, both literally and figuratively, as Franco's colossal, skyscraper-sized concrete crucifix (a recurring motif in the film) still overlooks the country's capital.
In the film's unforgettable introduction, a clown duet performs for children while a cacophony of heavy artillery booms just outside the doors. The children alternate between crying out of fear and giggling at the pair of clowns' slapstick performance. The clowns are pushing themselves as hard as they can to distract the children from the impending doom that's approaching, reflecting growing hopelessness behind the feigned whimsy of their performance. Soon, rebel soldiers arrive, urging everyone to pick up a weapon and prepare to fight the fascist army. One of the clowns (Santiago Segura), goes into a fit of rage upon seeing his fearful infant audience's loss of innocence and massacres the oncoming fascists in a bloodthirsty rage using only a machete until his inevitable defeat. Alas, the rebels lost the war, and Spain was quickly in the clutches of fascism.
'A Creepshow Animated Special' Trailer Teases Killer Clowns and One Extremely Effed-Up Beach Trip
Clowns and cannibalism, only on Shudder!30 years later, we're introduced to Javier, our protagonist, one of the children in the audience from the beginning and the son of the heroic clown who sacrificed himself. Javier joins a traveling circus and takes on the role of the sad clown. In the allegorical micro-society of the circus, Javier will find love and violent rivalry through his fellow performers, the beautiful trapeze girl Natalia (Carolina Bang) and her abusive husband, Sergio (Antonio de la Torre), a sadistic and sexually violent tyrant that rules over the circus. When trying to fix the ills that plague the circus' social structure, Javier ends up losing his freedom, his physical faculties, and ultimately, his sanity. Through tragedy and loss, Javier is pushed over the edge and becomes the vengeful, violent "clown of death," hellbent on wreaking revenge on the society that ruined him by instilling fear and chaos in both his enemies and anyone in his way.
The Psychedelic Tone Of 'The Last Circus' Balances Comedy, Horror, And Drama
The tone and plot of The Last Circus make it feel mostly akin to the poetic tragedy (infused with comedy) of Shakespeare, found in works such as Romeo and Juliet, where realism takes a back seat to set up poetic, allegorical, and tragically, ironically sad finales. But that doesn't mean that this isn't a campy B-movie horror comedy either! The tone of this film is incredibly strange, psychedelic, and unique, blending the flavors of Shakespeare's situational poetry with Eli Roth's bloodsplattered sensibilities in a unique broth of violence and viscera, topped with the dreamy surrealism and psychosexuality of Almodovar's and Jodorowski's efforts. For some, it may be a little too unique, bordering on messy tonal inconsistency. But this film willland for anyone who enjoys off-the-wall films that ride the line between hilarious and harrowing.
Most of the film's comedy stems from its campiness. In the opening, when the fascist army invades the circus, much effort has gone into set design and lighting to make the scene feel like an authentic depiction of war, only for that effort to quickly be undermined by the rebel general Matrix-blasting his way through fascists with dual-wielding pistols and swan dives, while the clown runs around chopping up his enemies with his machete, all the while neither character takes a single bullet. This extremely odd tone is carried throughout as we're thrust back and forth between harrowing scenes of abuse, sexual assault, and Saló-esque fascist dehumanization and sadism; and scenes of gun-wielding clowns and Evel Knievel-esque stuntpeople in silly, campy shootouts. This unique tonal contrast is a signature of director de la Iglesia, and can be found in spades in his HBO show 30 Coins.
Of course, a killer clown movie wouldn't be complete without adding in horror. Between the violence and depictions of sadistic torture, humiliation, and dehumanization, there's one scene in particular that will be forever etched in the memory of any who watches it. Without spoiling much, there's a point where a clown has his makeup permanently etched on with acid and a hot iron. It's about as graphic as you can get without actually melting someone's face off on camera, and it's both stomach-churningly haunting and, somehow, poetically comical. Top all of that off with some uncomfortable and surreal dream sequences as Javier loses his mind, and you've got a movie that encompasses horror, comedy, and B-movie charm.
'The Last Circus' Is An Allegorical Tale Of Identity, Resentment, And Fascism
The Last Circus and the performers that inhabit it are a reflection of Spanish society. A character even says so: "You know what the real circus is? This country!" The circus is run by a violent tyrant, and the rest of the performers fearfully submit to him until Javier arrives and begins questioning Sergio's behavior and condemning the extreme abuse he inflicts upon his wife in front of everyone. Natalia is a beautiful, almost ethereal being, hypnotic and celestial in how she carries herself, leading Javier and Sergio into a violent rivalry over her.
The final showdown between both clowns, as they fight to the death to take ownership of Natalia, takes place atop the colossal crucifix of "La Valle de los caídos" or valley of the fallen, the mass grave of fascist and rebel soldiers that died during the war. Here, both fascists and rebels are the same: Corpses that lost their lives over an identity that was forced upon them, over the resentment of their leaders, and over the control of something that wasn't theirs to begin with. The "war" between Javier and Sergio is the ultimate conflict of the film and serves as an allegory for the war going on in the backdrop of their conflict. Ultimately, The Last Circus is a film about jealousy, resentment, and mistrust, leading to a tragic finale. These feelings fueled the clown rivalry of the film just as they fuel wars and dictatorships, and it's in these environments that our identities are stripped and taken away from us.
The Last Circus is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S
