Is Wrinkles the Clown Worth Watching? Full Review

Based on the massive blockbuster success of Joker and IT, you would think that a documentary that follows the life of a real-life scary clown would be a resounding success.

Wrinkles the Clown manages to shoot itself in the foot with a deliberate twist in the middle that damages the credibility of the documentary and the filmmaker.

Wrinkles the Clown became a local legend in Florida and a viral sensation on YouTube. He inspired various copycats to follow in his footsteps, and while the trend may have been creepy, the real Wrinkles is not.

1. Quick Review

The narrative style and the collection of interviews allow the viewers to explore the sensation from different angles.

A historian, a psychologist, Wrinkles’s fans and children offer their thoughts on this pop-culture blip. Wrapping up in 75 minutes, you realize there isn’t any depth to the story, and the interviews are just tools to prolong the documentary.

The absurd twist in the middle makes the first half of the movie useless, and this is a documentary that has little value to offer. You’ll be better of skipping this one.

2. Is It Worth Watching?

There are many documentaries and books available if you want to learn about the pop culture impact of Clowns in America.

If you’re looking to relive the hype and excitement of your childhood days or refresh your memories of Wrinkles the Clown, the videos on YouTube are a better option.

I. Plot

Michael Beach Nichols directs this documentary, which follows an enigmatic older man around the town of Naples, Florida. He is Wrinkles the Clown, an internet sensation and an urban legend whose videos have been viewed from all over the country.

Wrinkles The Clown - Official Trailer

The movie opens with Wrinkles’ famous Youtube video in which we see him emerge from under a young girl’s bed while she sleeps. He looks up at the nanny cam and then places a doll near the girl, creepily disabling the camera afterward.

In the next couple of days, the news emerged that the Clown in the video was someone that parents could hire to scare their kids and keep them from misbehaving. Soon stickers and pamphlets with Wrinkles’ droopy face and hollow eyes started appearing all-over Florida.

From people calling to hire him to give death threats to children calling to check whether that number is real, adults and teenagers made Wrinkles an urban legend.

2. The Interviews

In 2019, Wrinkles allowed a documentary crew to follow him and get a glimpse of his life. The movie’s short run-time is filled with interviews with various experts and an old man living alone in the woods. The man named D.B. Lambert is supposedly behind the Wrinkles mask.

Nichols explores multiple angles studying how a character can become an urban legend and gain a nation-wide fan following in today’s Internet Age. A psychologist is interviewed who says that Wrinkles’ behavior may be abusive to children and may leave them with psychological trauma.

Folk-lore experts and historians explain the origins of the symbolism of evil clowns and how this narrative captured America. Another clown in the town is also interviewed. Named Peppy, he’s a happy clown whose business has taken a hit due to Wrinkles and IT’s release.

Children have played an essential part in Wrinkles’ legend, and Nichols manages to talk to a random group of three children. The interviews which feel disconnected show a child being inspired to film his horror pranks for YouTube and another who is both scared of Wrinkles and excited to meet him.

3. The Twist

In the middle of the movie, it is revealed that the old man we have been watching isn’t the man behind Wrinkles’ mask. He is just an actor hired to pretend that he is Wrinkles.

The real Wrinkles is a much younger man whose face is kept hidden. He explains that the videos were filmed using actors, and his experiment went viral. This twist in the tale feels unnecessary and renders the first half completely useless.

It is worth noting that this was a planned ruse and not discovered during the shoot. Nichols intentionally misdirects and confuses the viewer, which is the exact opposite of what a documentary is supposed to do. The twist has more of a puzzling effect than a shocking one.

4. Final Thoughts

Wrinkles the Clown was looking to piggyback off the Joker’s success, but it doesn’t merit a watch. A documentary that was barely being held together and being considered watchable destroys its credibility.

It also reveals that when you look at just the facts, there isn’t much to the tale of Wrinkles. Sensationalizing and fictionalizing an urban legend, this is a waste of your time.

5. Grade

6. Info