Amusement (film)
A 2009 anthology slasher film released direct-to-video in January by New Line Cinema
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
**Amusement (film)** *Amusement* is a 2009 American anthology slasher film directed by John Simpson. The cast includes Keir O'Donnell, Katheryn Winnick, Laura Breckenridge, and Jessica Lucas. It was released direct-to-video in January 2009 and was distributed by New Line Cinema.
**Plot**
**Prologue** The film begins with yearbook photos of three girls: Tabitha Wright, Shelby Leds, and Lisa Swan. Their senior superlatives label them as "Most Likely to be Famous," "Most Likely to Succeed," and "Most Likely to Shine." The prologue also shows photos of an unnamed boy and clippings from a psychological profile describing him as "extremely dangerous."
**Shelby** Shelby and her boyfriend Rob Alerbe stop for gas on the highway, joined by a semi-truck and a Jeep. Shelby sees a frightened woman in the truck’s back window, but Rob doesn’t see her and says the trucker claimed he was driving alone. Later, the woman jumps from the truck onto their car. The truck drives on as Shelby, Rob, and the Jeep driver stop to help. Rob chases the truck for its plates but fails, returning to find the Jeep driver injured and Shelby and the woman missing. The Jeep driver says the trucker took them, and they go to an isolated house. The Jeep driver goes to the door and overhears the trucker on the phone, claiming to be the woman’s father taking her to rehab for drug addiction. In the Jeep, Rob finds Shelby and the woman bound and gagged under a tarp in the backseat. The Jeep driver kills the trucker, then approaches the Jeep. Rob locks the door but finds the keys missing. The Jeep driver smashes the window with a sledgehammer and kills Rob.
**Tabitha** Tabitha babysits her cousins Max and Danny at her aunt’s house. She learns the previous babysitter, June, left early. Later, a man claiming to be June’s boyfriend, Owen, arrives looking for her, his face hidden by a raincoat. He leaves when Tabitha says she doesn’t know where June is. Inside, Tabitha finds a guest bedroom filled with clown toys and a life-sized clown doll on a rocking chair. She later asks her aunt about the doll but is told the family has no such thing. The clown attacks, trying to break into the boys’ room. Tabitha helps the boys escape and hides in a shed, where she opens a closet and finds June’s corpse. The clown enters, laughing in a way sim
- Release year
- 2009 (direct-to-video)
- Director
- John Simpson
- Genre
- Anthology slasher
- Distributor
- New Line Cinema
- Production companies
- Macari/Edelstein, New Line Cinema
- Notable cast
- Keir O'Donnell, Katheryn Winnick, Laura Breckenridge, Jessica Lucas
Lore & Background
The film opens with yearbook photos of three girls—Tabitha Wright, Shelby Leds, and Lisa Swan—each described by senior superlatives as having great potential. A prologue also introduces an unnamed boy described as 'extremely dangerous' in a psychological profile. The narrative unfolds in three segments: Shelby is abducted after a highway encounter with a truck driver; Tabitha is terrorized by a clown doll while babysitting; and Lisa searches for her missing roommate in a hotel run by a masked caretaker. The segments converge in a final act revealing the killer as a former classmate from Briar Hills Elementary School, who seeks revenge for childhood mockery.
Reader's Guide
Amusement is notable as the final film distributed by the original Picturehouse before its closure in 2008. Despite a planned theatrical release in 2008, the film was delayed multiple times and ultimately went direct-to-video in January 2009. Critical reception was largely negative: Bloody-Disgusting.com called it 'disastrous,' and reviewers criticized its incomprehensible script, incompetent characters, bland direction, and lack of scares. The film's production involved New Line Cinema, which purchased it in 2005 and initially attached Bernard Rose to direct. Its legacy is primarily as a footnote in the history of Picturehouse and as an example of a slasher anthology that failed to achieve commercial or critical success.
Did You Know?
- The film was released direct-to-video in January 2009, after the original Picturehouse had already closed in 2008, so it was not their last distributed film.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Amusement (2008)?
Amusement is a 2008 American anthology slasher film helmed by director John Simpson. It hit shelves as a direct-to-video release in January 2009.
Who stars in Amusement?
The principal cast includes Keir O'Donnell, Katheryn Winnick, Laura Breckenridge, and Jessica Lucas, all portraying high school students at the center of the story.
What is the plot of Amusement about?
The film follows a group of teenagers who form a pact to make their senior year unforgettable, a promise that spirals into a string of escalating violent incidents. The narrative is structured as an anthology, weaving multiple character arcs together around that central deal.
How does Amusement end?
The pact the characters make drives the story toward a dark, fatal conclusion in which the consequences of their vow catch up with them. The film closes on a grim note befitting the slasher anthology format.
Why is Amusement notable among horror releases?
It was the final title distributed by the original Picturehouse before that company ceased operations in 2008, making it a small but permanent footnote in the distributor's catalog. The film was produced by Macari/Edelstein and New Line Cinema alongside Picturehouse Entertainment.
More in Horror films about clowns 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record