The Fear of Clowns

When you first think of clowns, do you initially think of the goofy white-faced red-nosed wild-haired trickster who makes kids laugh with balloons and slapstick? Or do you think of some creep in a clown costume? Or worse, a monster in human form, wearing a clown costume?

Having recently viewed the film Killer Klowns From Outer Space, I was left pondering about the modern-day stigma of coulrophobia (the fear of clowns).  I'd like to point out now that it's not my intention to degrade or diss the established profession of clowns or similar performing arts; I'm sure there are plenty of clowns who are charming and whimsical, and I simply haven't seen them yet.  This is more of a rambling about the pop culture depictions.

To be perfectly honest, though, I never found clowns to be all that funny.  Thanks to their depictions on TV, video games, music, books, and other media, clowns have often taken on a form that's ugly, sickening, and grotesque, turning them into monsters to be feared.  With this association, it's pretty easy to look at clowns in general and label them as scary or creepy (even if they really aren't).

I thought it would be amusing to take a moment to look at why clowns are sometimes regarded in fear.

Many amusing faces of evil.

Top Five Reasons Why Clowns Are Scary

1. First and foremost, they are one of the prime examples of how something pure and innocent can be subverted or defiled into something unnatural.  After all, clowns are meant to be pleasant, and to make people laugh.  To take that character and make him hurt people and cause suffering goes against the natural definition, and is therefore inherently sickening.
2. General appearance lends itself to subversion pretty easily.  With the make-up and outlandish costumes, it's takes no big stretch to imagine the same gaudiness applied to an evil character.  In fact, thanks to characters like the Joker, white make-up and red lipstick might be the new fashion trend for evil.  It also helps accentuate the more ugly features of the ugliest characters (such as the blood and dirt seen on the most psycho of clowns, like Captain Spaulding from The Devil's Rejects).  Some could even say that a clown's appearance is somewhat similar to the appearance of demons, ghosts, or other inhuman phenomenon.
3. In spite of reason #2, all the make-up, masks, and costumes also serves as a disguise for the character (or, in the case of people like the Joker, the disguise is the character and the person is the mask).  You don't really know who's underneath that get-up.  Could it be somebody you know personally? Could it be a total stranger? Could it be a monster (ala Pennywise the clown)?
4. For the most part, clowns are commonly associated with children, for they are often hired to put on a show for kids and kids' parties.  You'd generally assume that the silly antics of a clown are more suitable for children, regardless of whether or not they're really all that funny.  At the same time, this could instill a certain primal fear in parents and other mindful adults:  the fear of leaving a child's care in the hands of a total stranger in a costume and make-up.  Chances are that most clowns are harmless; it's just the stories like Stephen King's It that dwells upon that frightening possibility that clowns could abduct children.
5. They aren't funny to begin with.  At least I don't think they are.  Most other people I've met don't think they are.  Even most children don't think they are.  At the worst, they come off as inept or overly-goofy, like a real-life Jar Jar Binks.  At the worst, they could be seen as failures, and it's not too hard to imagine a failed clown becoming disgruntled and succumbing to evil.

Top Scary Clown Sightings/References (...that I noticed anyway)

1. Probably the biggest and most obvious example of an "evil clown" in pop culture is the Joker from the Batman comics, books, films, and video games.  Even in his earliest incarnations, the Joker always represented an element of unbridled chaos, always working in a maniacal fashion to disrupt the balance of society and push people to their limits.  Much of this is very clearly articulated in The Dark Knight film, but Heath Ledger's nuanced performance (and method acting) also brought the character to life in a way that's so unstable and amoral that it's chilling.  The Joker also received a rather monstrous and unnatural depiction in the Arkham Asylum graphic novel.  The Joker's image and persona has persisted in pop culture for nearly a century, and chances are that he'll remain in the social consciousness for a long time to come.  In recent years, the Joker would receive a mate:  Harley Quinn, a playful, fanatical jester-like trickster.
2. I think most people would unanimously think of Pennywise from Stephen King's It as one of the first and best examples of an "evil clown." As the book's title suggests, Pennywise is not human, but he's constantly parading around as a human clown, luring hapless children into his evil grasp.  Tim Curry's depiction in the It miniseries brought the character to frightening life, helping to reinforce Pennywise as one of the most fundamental figures of coulrophobia.
3. From John Carpenter's Halloween series, Michael Meyers committed his first and most shocking crime in the disguise of a clown.  While we will always remember this character for the nondescript mask he wears 99% of the time, that initial slaughter stands out as one of the most vicious and chilling scenes of all time; it's rendered even more shocking when Michael is unmasked in the street.  There's nothing more unnatural than seeing a young boy in that costume, holding a bloody knife in his hands.  This motif was later repeated in Halloween 4 and Halloween 5, extending the Michael Meyers curse through a new generation of terror.
4. Video games often carry over the "evil clown" image, and one of the most dominant is probably the game Twisted Metal.  I honestly have never played the older games, and I haven't gone far in the latest game for the PS3 (because I suck at it).  From what I've seen, the mainstay of the series is a serial killer driving an ice-cream truck wearing a clown mask.  The latest game delves into his backstory, so full of murder and mayhem, and it is as chilling of an experience as it is grotesque.
5. The clown from the Spawn comics, HBO animation show, and the film.  He appears as a demon, initially serving to aid the main character, but later reveals himself to be "the violator" and turning into one of the main villains.  The clown is downright rude and vulgar, but as a demon, he's one scary monster that packs a tremendous punch.
6. The film Killer Klowns from Outer Space, which depicts a race of extraterrestrials who look like clowns, actively roaming through a town to capture and drink the blood of human beings.  They wrap their victims in cotton candy, and use such things as flesh-eating popcorn and acidic pies to wreak havoc.  It is a self-conscious parody of B-movie cinema, but has just the right amount of grotesqueness to make the clown characters genuinely unsettling.
7. The Detroit rap band Insane Clown Posse, which builds its entire image on the scary clown aesthetic.  The performers literally dress up in clown outfits.  All of their songs are trashy and vulgar, often with violent content, and almost always with a wicked and sick sense of humor.  Most of their albums serve to tell a collective tale about the Dark Carnival, which is a type of purgatory where souls are judged by otherworldly spirits.
8. Captain Spaulding, from the Rob Zombie film The Devil's Rejects (and House of 1,000 Corpses, which I still haven't seen yet).  He is one fugly character, with or without the make-up.  His demeanor is violent, and the violence he commits is often shocking and grisly.
9. Toward the end of the film Zombieland, a zombie clowns makes an appearance.
10. Toward the end of the film Cabin in the Woods, a psycho (and seemingly-invincible) clown appears and stabs somebody.
11. Toward the end of the film Over the Hedge, the squirrel points to the sky (where the bear was coming in with a clown-shaped balloon) and says "scary clown!"