THE NIGHT WATCHMEN

People are puzzled when Baltimore icon Blimpo the Clown and his troupe of performers mysteriously die while performing in Romania. Back in the U.S., all is revealed when a security guard is mauled after he can’t resist peeking inside the clown’s coffin, which has been accidentally delivered to the wrong building. Blimpo and his crew have been transformed into vampires and are (er) dying to convert citizens to their monstrous ways. The only people with any hope of stopping these so-called “clownpires” are a bumbling crew of night watchmen and an intrepid journalist—all of whom wield guns, stakes, and their wits as they hunt Blimpo and his undead acolytes. From there, THE NIGHT WATCHMEN turns into a gleefully (and unapologetically) gory movie replete with liberal amounts of gross-out comedic elements. Nevertheless, the film’s reverence for campy 80s horror flicks and wicked sense of humor ensure the blood-soaked romp is equal parts fun and frightening. —A.Z.