The Dickies - Killer Klowns (From Outer Space)

What this video is

Released in 1988, this music video exists at a distinctive nexus of punk rock promotion and B-movie cult cinema marketing. The Dickies, a Los Angeles pop-punk band formed in 1977, were recruited to write and perform the title theme for the Chiodo Brothers' sci-fi horror comedy Killer Klowns from Outer Space — notably writing the song without having seen the film. The resulting music video, produced for Enigma…

Why it matters

This video is a landmark example of the horror film/punk music crossover genre, sitting alongside Dokken's Nightmare on Elm Street 3 and The Ramones' Pet Sematary tie-ins. As a promotional artifact for both the EP and the film, it demonstrates how B-movie distributors leveraged MTV exposure and…

The director

Chuck Cirino is an Emmy-nominated, Telly Award-winning Los Angeles-based filmmaker and composer. He grew up in South Florida making 8mm films and began his career directing commercials and TV content. He directed visual effects for Shelley Duvall's Faerie…