Camp Blood Clown Shark

"Camp Blood Clown Shark" (2024) is a bold, blood-soaked dive into the absurd and terrifying. A hybrid horror film blending slasher tropes with aquatic terror, it carves its own niche in the B-movie universe. Directed by Mark Polonia, known for his lo-fi cult horror flicks, this movie takes viewers on a surreal journey where the real monster isn’t just the shark—it’s the disturbing glee with which it kills.

Set at a cursed summer camp built over a Native burial ground, the film opens with teens partying by the lake, only to be attacked by a monstrous, mutated clown-faced shark. Legend says the clown shark was created through an occult ritual gone wrong—a clown’s spirit merging with a shark during a blood moon sacrifice. Now, it haunts the waters, feeding on fear, flesh, and foolishness.

The main characters are horror archetypes: the jock, the goth, the stoner, the innocent girl. But what makes this film unexpectedly fun is how self-aware it is. The acting leans into camp, the dialogue is loaded with dark humor, and the kills are as ridiculous as they are creative—one poor soul gets eaten while trapped inside a giant inflatable flamingo.

Despite its micro-budget feel, the film’s practical effects are surprisingly inventive. The clown shark’s design—gleaming teeth, smeared makeup, and honking nose—manages to be both laughable and nightmare-inducing. There’s an uncanny brilliance in how it merges It-style clown horror with the relentless aquatic menace of Jaws.

However, the pacing drags in the middle, and the repetitive jump scares grow stale. But Polonia seems less concerned with tension and more with shock-value spectacle. That’s part of the appeal: it's not trying to be Hereditary—it's trying to be the most ridiculous midnight movie you can imagine, and in that, it succeeds.

While the film ends with the classic horror twist—our final girl thinking she's safe, only to see clown shark eyes gleaming from her bathtub—it also sets up a ridiculous yet intriguing sequel.

Camp Blood Clown Shark 2: Red Tide Rising (imagined) takes place in a seaside town preparing for its annual Clown Festival. Unbeknownst to them, fragments of the original shark have spawned in the ocean, spreading a new breed of aquatic killer clowns. This time, they can walk on land during high tide. Our heroine returns, traumatized but ready, teaming up with a conspiracy podcaster and a retired shark hunter who used to be a rodeo clown. Expect fire-breathing clown fish, red nose-shaped grenades, and a finale inside a flooded circus tent.

"Camp Blood Clown Shark" is exactly what you think it is—wild, weird, and wholly entertaining if you embrace the madness. It's a film best enjoyed with popcorn, friends, and zero expectations. If you love so-bad-it’s-good cinema, this is your next obsession. And with a sequel on the (imagined) horizon, the waters may get even bloodier.