A new adaptation of the Stephen King novel It has been released, and with that, a whole new generation of kids can develop a fear of clowns and balloons. But it isn't just the 1990 miniseries starring Tim Curry that sparked the common phobia of clowns – purposely scary or just normal circus ones. The concept of a creepy clown has been a staple of pop culture over decades, if not centuries. To talk about every instance and every single “evil clown” in media and culture would fill an entire book, but there are several major ones that have become icons in their own right, so we'll look at those – unless of course you happen to be afraid of clowns, but in that case, you probably didn't click on this article anyway.
Of
course, no discussion on evil clowns would be complete without
looking at the Clown Prince of Crime himself, the Joker. Created by
Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson (though all credit went to Bob Kane,
see a previous article for that story), the character was inspired by
the film adaptation of TheMan Who Laughs. Since
his first appearances in the pre-WWII comics, the Joker's design and
mannerisms have evolved to instil fear in a changing audience, though
the Comics Code made him go from being a psychotic murderer to a
comedic clown (of course, adding to the whole “Clown Prince”
motif). Usually dressed in a purple and green suit, his face white
and lips bright red, the Joker has become one of the most iconic
villains in history – and when his appearance is changed to make
him scary and intimidating to a new audience, oftetimes it is met
with negative reactions (see Jared Leto in Suicide Squad).
Even still, his brand of dark comedy-based crime and violence has in
some ways influenced many of the portrayals of creepy clowns, many
using evil twists on classic “clown acts”, a trait that was
popularized by the Joker. It should also be noted that Heath Ledger's
turn as the Joker in the 2008 film The Dark Knight
created an image of fear in itself, further establishing the
character as the most famous scary clown.
In
reality, serial killer John Wayne Gacy had previously worked as a
clown, thus giving him the nickname “the Killer Clown.” Active in
the 1970s, Gacy's subsequent arrest and trial were given intense
media coverage, not unlike Jeffrey Dahmer less than fifteen years
later. This was uncommon at the time, with the Manson family still
fresh in the minds of the public (causing a rise in interest of
serial killers) and a general concern over saftey of children. When
not killing, Gacy was an active member in his Chicago community,
often dressing up as a clown named “Pogo” to entertain children
at parties and local events. Well-known and in good regard, Gacy was
the last person one would expect to be a serial killer. But of
course, that's usually what happens. As many children were growing up
around the news, it is very likely that aspects of the story and the
idea that those funny guys down at the carnival could turn around and
harm you, the makeup hiding their real selves. Gacy murdered 33
people, all males between the ages of 14
and possibly up to 32 (several bodies have yet to be identified) –
and despite his years of service and entertaining, he was still
severely ill. His nickname and story has become part of American
history, a story still being researched and read into today.
And
yes, we have to look back to the 2016 clown sightings. Because that's
the kind of world we live in, where for a period of time, we had to
be on the lookout for creepy clowns. Some theorized that the clowns
were actually just a viral marketing scheme for Rob Zombie's 31,
a film involving a gang of murderous clowns, or the then-upcoming It
(which had just revealed a promotional image of Pennywise before the
sightings started). However, spokesmen for both films denied these
claims, and several people claimed to have been attacked or witnessed
a person in a clown suit around their areas. Schools banned students
from wearing clown costumes, police were brought in due to threats on
schools and other public facilities, and McDonald's scaled back
appearances of their mascot Ronald McDonald (right there, you know
it's a real crisis). These slowly started falling in sightings, and
following the threats of a “clown purge” in which these clowns
would attack people on Halloween night, the clown problem was pretty
much over. Of course, with the release of It,
there has been a few, but it's assumed those are just people trying
to jumpstart the epidemic again, to no avail. However, red balloons
have been tied to sewer grates in reference to the movie, but unlike
the clowns of 2016, this is obviously just a little prank to scare
the kids who sneaked in to see the R-rated movie.
So
why are so many afraid of clowns? Is it the pale faces, bright
clothes, and the way-too-happy mannerisms? Maybe it's the fact that
the person under all that makeup may not be all there, and like John
Wayne Gacy, you never know what people are capable of. As I said
earlier, I could go on and on about different scary clowns and what
they highlight and how they bring on feelings of fear and dread, but
frankly we don't have that kind of time. Perhaps the fear is just
like the fear of heights or fear of large crowds. It's a common
phobia that everybody who has it has a different reasoning. Some
don't like people in makeup and costumes to begin with. Others were
exposed to Tim Curry in the 1990 It
a little too young and it scarred them for life. Thousands of hours
of research and investigations have been completed by experts (no not
exactly clown experts, but scientists), and they found that many
children are afraid of clowns, with no real reason why. I'd argue
that it is at least partially brought on by their often unhuman
appearance – white faces, bright colors, etc. It is unusual and
oftentimes a little jarring to see. But hey, that's just an idea.
It's just something that humanity will deal with until the end of
time – and it doesn't look like there will be any stopping of the
evil clown characters in media until then.