Drive-Thru (film)
A campy slasher with a killer clown at a fast-food joint.
Drive-Thru is a 2007 American dark comedy slasher film directed and written by Brendan Cowles and Shane Kuhn. The film stars Leighton Meester and Nicholas D'Agosto, and is set in Orange County, California, centering on an evil clown as a serial killer. Released direct-to-video on May 29, 2007, the film received mixed reviews, with some critics praising its campy horror style and creative fast-food-themed kills, while others criticized its confusing plot and poorly written dialogue.
- Release year
- 2007
- Directors and writers
- Brendan Cowles and Shane Kuhn
- Lead actors
- Leighton Meester and Nicholas D'Agosto
- Setting
- Orange County, California
- Genre
- Dark comedy slasher
- Release format
- Direct-to-video
- Runtime
- 83 minutes
Lore & Background
The plot follows Mackenzie and her friends as they are targeted by Horny the Clown, the mascot of the fast-food restaurant Hella Burger. The killer is revealed to be the vengeful spirit of Archie Benjamin, the original performer of Horny the Clown, who was accidentally burned alive on his 18th birthday after being bullied by the teenagers' parents. The film includes a series of fast-food-themed kills, such as a head in a deep fryer and a head exploding in a modified microwave.
Reader's Guide
Drive-Thru has gained a niche following as a 'so bad it's good' or 'guilty pleasure' movie, often included in watch lists regarding killer clowns. The film continues to receive attention from horror film critics, with several review articles and videos made about it between 2019 and 2020. It was featured in two episodes of the series Phelous & the Movies. The film's legacy is tied to its campy horror style and creative kills, despite professional reviews criticizing it as disjointed, derivative, and lacking substance.
Did You Know?
- The film was released under different titles internationally, including Burger Kill (Canada and France), Fast Food Killer (Spain), and Death Burger (Japan).
- The working title of the film in the USA was Hellaburger.
- The film pays homage to John Carpenter's Halloween, with Leighton Meester's character named Mackenzie Carpenter as a reference to John Carpenter.
- Drive-Thru was shot in Los Angeles, California, using a Panavision Panaflex Gold II camera.
More in Horror films about clowns 1-24
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