First came the trailer for for a full length version of Hobo with a Shotgun, which is based on a fake trailer. Then director Jon Watts created a completely unauthorized, 100% fake and totally inspired trailer for an Eli Roth film (that Roth had no plans to direct) called Clown. After tweeting that he loved the trailer, Roth has now announced that he will produce a full length version of Watts' film. Just like that! But is this a completely unwarranted lucky break for Watts, or is Roth onto something? Let's take a look at some of Watts' previous work to decide.
First, kudos to Roth for seeing the potential of the Clown trailer, which was brilliant. And for not suing Watts. Said Roth:
"I called the guys right away and their first response was 'Thank you for not suing us!' I said 'Sue you? Let's make this into a real film!' They are incredibly talented, smart guys ready to make their feature debut."
Really? Ready to make their feature debut, based just on a fake trailer? Well, I'm actually guessing that Roth looked at Watts' numerous other short films, skits and music videos first. Let's take a look at a few and decide whether the Clown trailer was a fluke or the result of years of hard work and undiscovered potential.
First up, Does Watts know comedy? Because honestly, the laughs in a movie about a man with an evil clown mask stuck to his face are probably more important than the scares. Based on the soap opera parody Doctors with Guns, I'm personally giving Watts the benefit of the doubt. See for yourself:
When it comes to horror, the jury is still out. The Clown trailer did a great job balancing the the creepy with the comic, but not much of Watts' other work showcases any skills with suspense. Wanna Buy a Ghost, for example, is a bit lackluster, though Watts clearly didn't intend the video as his magnum opus...
If you have more time, Watts' 18-minute short film, The Invisible Dog is a better comparison. It is a bit too long, but actually quite funny most of the time. It's still low on suspense, but delivers and ending that should give you a bit of a chill, if only for the child's dead-on acting.
In any case, the main thing I'm missing from these previous videos is any sense of visual style (which I'll admit, is usually lacking in internet short films). Fortunately, Watts also directed this visually imaginative TV on the Radio music video, among others:
TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me from Jon Watts on Vimeo.
Final Verdict: Besides a few commercial projects (everyone's gotta eat!) my reaction to most of Watt's videos was more positive than not. For now, let's go ahead and add this to the list of movies in development that we actually want to see.