RIDM – Buffalo Juggalos review

Director Scott Cummings’ Buffalo Juggalos short film is a twisted (or is that Twizted?) look at one of the most maligned sub-cultures of our time. Cummings’ film portrays dozens of Buffalo, New York’s Insane Clown Posse devotees in a series of long single takes, with no dialogue. The participants are often filmed staring directly into the camera, with either a bored, or antagonistic look. Juggalos are shown in their trademark clown face-paint engaging in everyday activities like mowing the lawn, getting their hair cut, or bringing their kids (also in clown paint, in a creepy touch) to the park.

The FBI has declared the Juggalos a gang, and Cummings’ film does little to counter that assumption, capturing a pair of them in a smash and grab operation on a parked car, while a Juggalo-mobile is blown to bits later on in the film. Many of the Juggalos portrayed apparently have criminal records, but with the anonymity afforded by the face-paint, and with their only credit in the film listed under a moniker like “Flatline of Kamp Krystal Lake” or “Big Byrd,” they’re likely safe from the long arm of the law.

All of this violence and property destruction is well and good, but is there graphic Juggalo sex, you rightly ask? Fear not! Buffalo Juggalos has its share of full-on Ninja / Ninjette sex (and some Ninja/Ninja love), complete with a three-way scene where the participants are showered with copious amounts of Faygo soda.

The film makes no judgement on its subjects, nor does it place Juggalos into any sort of cultural context. The staged portrayals run the gamut from mundane static shots of Juggalos on their porches, to elaborate, roaming camera scenes in dingy, decrepit buildings. The stark backdrop of Buffalo adds to the eeriness of the film, and echoes the industrial look of Detroit, the headquarters of the Insane Clown Posse and the springboard for the entire Juggalo universe.

Buffalo Juggalos is beautifully shot, and offers an intriguing, if disturbing, look at one of the most beguiling sub-cultures of all time. Check out a teaser for the film below, and visit the film’s official site for screening dates.

Buffalo Juggalos screens at RIDM, the Montreal International Documentary Festival, on November 15th at 9:00pm, November 16th at 2pm, and November 21 at 4:15pm. For tickets and viewing locations, visit the festival’s official site.