Growing up, it seemed like we did not have all that much to worry about with clowns. They were meant to be happy or sometimes even sad, but never were they meant to be considered evil. People used to want to hire clowns for their kids' parties. Often, they were the favorite part of the circus too. The rainbow wig, the white painted face decorated with various designs, red nose, and red mouth painted stretched across their face. Kids used to want to dress up as them for Halloween. And if you happened to have a fear of them you mainly had to be afraid of them when you went to sleep at night. The fact that they might haunt your dreams.

But now, everyone seems to have a fear of clowns and I do not blame them one bit at all. I mean, growing up, I was never afraid of clowns, but now, if I were to come in contact with one, I’d probably run too. They are EVERYWHERE and are some of the scariest things alive. They used to be the happiest of all things, but now, they are not something to mess with or get too close to. And if you don’t know what I am talking about, you having been living under a rock, because they are everywhere. You can’t search Google or even go on social media without seeing some video or post about clowns. I mean, there have been “clown sightings” everywhere around the world. And so close to Halloween.

If you were excited for Halloween, you might want to change your views real quick. So many families are slowly deciding this year to not trick-or-treat because of the Year of The Clown. It is getting out of control. Clowns have been seen lurking in the woods. They have been seen trying to lure children. Some have been said to be super dangerous involving guns and knives and trying to murder victims. Although some people have also reported clown sightings and after police show up, there are no clowns seen anywhere. So, the question beginning to be asked is whether there was really a clown sighted even in the beginning. And sometimes, people believe it’s a stunt. It’s a movie promotion for Stephen King’s "It." Even Stephen King has said to cool it! It has nothing to do with the movie.

So, whatever you do, just be observant, be careful, and watch your back. Whatever you do, do not approach them. They are evil and might hurt you. If you see a clown, I don’t suggest you take that “necessary” selfie. I recommend you run, and run fast. Never did I ever think we would end up having a year of the clown. If anything, I figured it would be the year of the zombie. But for now, we just have to deal with creepy, evil, scary killer clowns.