Clownhouse (1989)

This is actually not a review, as I have never seen this film in its entriety. Rather, it's a commentary on the horrible behind the scenes story of it and how, in recent years, similar horrific tales have been getting more exposure.

For the record, the only Victor Salva film I have seen is his most famous, Jeepers Creepers (2001), which I saw before knowing how infamous he was. For those who may not know, by the time of that film's release, John Wayne Gacy-lookalike Salva had been a convicted pedophile for his abuse of 12 year old Nathan Forrest Winters, the star of Clownhouse(and possibly his co-star in that film, Brian McHugh, although McHugh has never come forward himself), Salva's first movie. Since learning of this, I've found myself unable to view this or any other of Salva's work, especially in light of how Salva was able to go back to directing after serving only a fraction of the time he was convicted. The fraction he did serve was thanks to Clownhouse's producer Francis Ford Coppola, who would also sue Winters (yes, he sued a 12-year old kid) for having the nerve to turn in someone who was sexually assaulting him. As a result, I can't help but think I'd just be sad if I actually watched Clownhouse knowing what happened during the making of that movie and the aftermath. Indeed, Shout Factory declined the chance to release a special edition blu-ray of the film precisely because of this awful story. Although the below video is a funny look at the film: Lately, I've been doing a little research on Salva and others who share his disgusting tendencies. The recent release of the documentary Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV led me to just post my sympathy for people like Winters, my disgust for people like Salva, and my disappointment for people like Coppola and Dan Schneider, for encouraging scum like Salva. I'm also disappointed in others such as Growing Pains stars Joanna Kerns and the late Alan Thicke as the documentary reveals they were 2 of numerous Hollywood figures who expressed support for Brian Peck(who was a dialogue coach on Growing Pains) after he was convicted of sexually assaulting Nickelodeon star Drake Bell. I do hope ramifications come for those who commit and/or condone such disgusting behavior.