by Vicky Lawrence
Clowns, we all know them. Some love them. Some hate them. Some are so utterly terrified by them that the simple thought of grease paint sends shivers down their spines. But we all know about them. What some of you don’t know is that there is a week of celebration for everything clown-related in the first week of August – World Clown Week. As a tribute to the first recognized group of organised clowns, National Clown Week was written into law by President Richard Nixon on August 2nd, 1971, as a thank you to clowns for ‘creating the laughter of children and the sudden delight of a lonely man’. This grew from a national celebration in the US into a global celebration for all things clown. However, the visual portrayal of clowns has taken a swift turn away from their jolliness; they are now portrayed as terrifying, unnerving and even murderous. Even with the capitalisation of Ronald McDonald as the mascot for Mcdonald’s, the killer clown trope is very much alive and has caused mass fear, thanks to the likes of killer clown epidemics of 2016 and the serial killer John Wayne Gacy. And let’s be frank, we all know someone who is scared of clowns.
But why are clowns viewed as so terrifying?
Clowns aren’t inherently evil; they were there to bring joy and entertain; however, horror enjoys the power of the unknown and subverts the idea of what is beneath the surface. Clowns with their oversized costumes, their grease-painted faces and oversized shoes are the pinnacle of the uncanny valley – with the audience not knowing what is underneath the mask, true fear finds a home in the characters of clowns. They serve as a memory of innocence, with clowns being a staple part of children’s birthday parties, where they are to be ridiculed – Directors have used this and twisted it to bring true fear to the plate. What is worse than realising that something you used to believe in was a fun joke and entertaining that is now the epitome of pure fear with a chance of bloody murder?
Clowns provide a useful template to stick in people’s minds; they are visually striking and stand for all of the aforementioned things. With the popularity of films like ‘IT’ and ‘Terrifier’, it is very clear that killer clowns aren’t going anywhere soon. So with that in mind, we felt that the best way to celebrate World Clown Week was to count down the most iconic clowns in horror, with one clown for each day of the week.
Without further ado, introducing the killer clowns that haunt your dreams…
7) The Clöyne – Clown (2014)
Clown (2014)’ is about a father trying to make his son happy on his birthday when the party clown decides not to turn up. Finding an old clown costume in the basement, he takes on the role to make his son happy, but little does he know the evil that lurks behind the suit and the struggle there will be when he tries to take it off. This film is a supernatural slasher with body horror tropes; the Clöyne has a killer character design that will leave you haunted. Though not one of our most notable ones on the list, if you watch this film the image of Clöyne will be ingrained in your mind – he simply gets more ghastly. The Clöyne plays on those fears of innocence and the uncanny valley, a happy party clown that slowly turns into this monstrous, flesh-craving creature. The idea of the costume taking over creates the catalyst for this idea of the monster behind the mask and how clowns are, in fact, murderous and not to be trusted.
6) The Heads – 31 (2016)
To those of you who haven’t watched Rob Zombie’s ‘31’, you are missing out (I said what I said). ‘31’ is about 5 carnie workers who are captured to survive a murderous game of cat and mouse in a maze against these murderous clowns. The aim is to survive the 12 hours that the group are given, while an elite group places bets on their survival. When you think of clowns, you don’t initially think of the Heads (the murderers in the game). However, they are all twisted in their own little ways and very much do scream killer clowns. The Heads are very much different from one another, with 6 of them in total with different monikers, i.e. Doom Head (Richard Brake), Psycho Head (Lew Temple), Schizo Head (David Ury), etc. But they all bring to the audience this insight into the struggles of a psychotic killer clown’s state of mind, with Doom Head saying, ‘I’m not crazy; I’m in control!’. They very much portray this idea of a joyless and murderous clown; they aren’t camp or funny, they are utterly terrifying, further cemented by Doom Head saying, ‘Now, you may think you see a grease-painted performer sitting before you. But trust me – I’m not here to brighten your dismal day; I am here to end your miserable life’. They know they’re evil, they want blood and we don’t know what might be more terrifying than that.
5) Twisty – American Horror Story: Freak Show (2014)
I’m sure people must’ve seen our boy in ‘American Horror Story: Freak Show’, but to those who don’t know Twisty, he is one of the “villains” in ‘AHS’ Freak Show’. A man who fell in love with clowning and simply wanted to entertain children, who had a vicious rumour made about him molesting children. Being forced to leave the circus and not finding work anywhere, a failed suicide attempt led to him donning his iconic half-mask to cover the damage caused. Mentioned in the series is his childhood, which lets the audience know he had been left with some form of brain damage due to being dropped at an early age, meaning his understanding of some social queues is quite limited. He begins to kidnap and murder people, as he doesn’t think he is doing anything wrong and simply wants to save the children from their strict parents. He fully believed that the children loved him but was fully oblivious to the fact that they were, in fact, terrified. It is clear to see that Twisty is a representation of the classic circus clown who simply wanted to entertain, but due to his limited social skills and the vindictive nature of the freaks, he turned evil/murderous. Though utterly terrifying, I have an incredible amount of love for Twisty – he is the product of a toxic environment, coupled with his trauma; he simply sees his actions as just. He says ‘I’m a good clown’ and he was (I will not hear otherwise). His image is ingrained in our minds, that classic costume, half-mask and grease paint, a worthy entry in our hall of fame.
4) Killer Klowns from Outer Space – The Klowns (1988)
These aren’t any ordinary clowns. These are evil alien clowns. With their bright colours and exaggerated looks, not to mention their kooky weapons with the likes of popcorn/cotton candy guns, the Killer Klowns are, of course, the quintessential marriage of clown foolery and creepiness. This film is everything. It is cheesy and camp but still has that air of terror (even though it is hilarious throughout). The Killer Klowns bring the classic charm that circus clowns have always been connected with, with the public laughing at them and their shenanigans; however, it is clear that they have a murderous mindset with their hearts set on world domination. The Chiodo brothers can be thanked for, essentially, creating the fear of clowns in the ’80s by bringing these charismatic characters to the big screen. As we said, it is the perfect marriage of fun clownery and terror. With scenes like Shorty and his boxing gloves or Slim’s man-eating shadow puppetry, the Klowns really subvert this idea of clowns being fun with them being bloodthirsty alien lifeforms. ‘Killer Klowns from Outer Space’ is truly a horror-comedy but has very much solidified the killer clown trope in cinema. Not to mention their character design is one of the best I have ever seen – You can never miss these guys, and there is still the fear of being turned into a cotton candy cocoon to this day. If you have not seen the film, we won’t spoil anything for you. We will simply say treat yourself and watch it; it will forever be one of the best examples of killer clown tomfoolery.
3) IT – Pennywise
What would a list of killer clowns be if it didn’t feature one of the icons, Pennywise? Everyone knows Pennywise. Whether it is from the original miniseries starring Tim Curry or the modern-day duo film with Bill Skarsgård, Pennywise’s look is as iconic as it gets. With the oversized costume, the classic white grease paint face and the red nose, he is the character that screams traditional clown. Pennywise is the epitome of the killer clown, with an insatiable hunger for children. He is what nightmares are made of. Taking this idea of the innocence of ‘Pennywise the dancing clown’, there to entertain children, and subverting it with the act of devouring you whole if you got too close. The president of the World Clown Association personally blamed Stephen King for his reputation of being a clown getting tainted, which simply shows the horror that Pennywise created amongst the public. While Tim Curry gives us this alluring camp charm in his rendition of Pennywise, we truly get the horror of him through Skarsgård’s rendition, with his jagged teeth and unnerving eyes – Pennywise will forever be notable thanks to them both.
2) House of 1000 Corpses/The Devil’s Rejects/3 from Hell – Captain Spaulding
‘What’s the matter, kid? Don’t ya like clowns?’ uttered the one and only Captain Spaulding, a serial killing clown with a love for fried chicken and vulgar insults. Played by the late and great Sid Haig, Spaulding had cemented himself in horror culture forever with his debut in Rob Zombie’s ‘House of 1000 Corpses’ as part of the Firefly family. Spaulding mixes vulgar comedy with murderous rage to come out as one of our top killer clowns. Thanks to his witty commentary and dialogue, he really does become a likeable character but can cut that short with the rage he has, allowing for the audience’s expectations to be played with. Visually, Spaulding is your classic state-fair clown, with his American flag clown suit and hat, his exaggerated grease paint makeup and his wide grin. He very much plays on the idea of the serial killer clowns that use their charm; he wants to entice the public to visit his gas station with fried chicken and a murder museum. Have your fun, check the museum but don’t anger him unless it might be the last piece of fried chicken you eat. Regardless of what film you catch Captain Spaulding in, you can always guarantee that he is going to steal the show.
1) Terrifier 1 + 2 – Art the Clown
Let’s be real. It was expected that I was going to crown Art as our most iconic horror clown, but even putting my personal love for Art aside, it’s clear that he is now reigning supreme, thanks to the insane amount of popularity ‘Terrifier 2’ received during its theatrical release. Art is our favourite supernatural silent clown that has an affinity for gnarly weapons and bloodshed; donning a mime-like costume, his tiny hat, a horn, oversized shoes, exaggerated makeup and, of course, the little black dot on his nose, he is the one that is the most different from the others on our list. Damien Leone’s (Director) character design of Art is still one of this writer’s favourites to this day; it’s nice to have a silent clown to really play into that unnerving feeling. Being a non-verbal taunter, Art makes up for it with his overly expressive movements and expressions, further cementing the unnerving and uncanny feeling you get while watching him. David Howard Thornton plays Art with such finesse and quality, as he draws inspiration from the likes of DC’s Joker and Charlie Chaplin to give his character more depth, not to mention his training as a mime, which is the reason for his polished performance. Leone has created a new slasher icon (something that has been lacking in the scene for a while) that will firmly be cemented in horror culture. No one can forget that wide grin and horn (or maybe the sunglasses?) – Art the Clown has shaken the world with his appearance in ‘Terrifier 2’ with Pennywise being dethroned as the modern-day killer clown. Art’s kills are on another level compared to anyone else on this list, and he strikes fear in most people (with some passing out in theatres with ‘Terrifier 2’s’ theatrical release). Our king of horror clowns, Art, will be remembered by the masses just like Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger have been; he is now part of the slasher icon family, and it is truly deserved.
Is this the end of the killer clown trope?
With the popularity of ‘Terrifier 2’ and the immense amount of merchandise for the likes of ‘IT’, we can see that the killer clown trope isn’t going away anytime soon. We know for a fact that we have a third ‘Terrifier’ film in the making, carrying on Art’s killer antics and the story of Sienna and Johnathan. We also have a “Meta Terrifier” film out this year called ‘Faceless After Dark’, following actress Jenna Kanell (Tara – Terrifier 1) as Bowie, who has found fame from a killer clown film and ends up having her own killer clown stalker. On top of this, we have a film adaptation of ‘Clown in a Cornfield’ of the book of the same name by Adam Cesare, about a killer clown mascot hellbent on killing the “rotten crop of kids” that live in Kettle Springs.
In short, it appears that we have a lot coming out in the next few years, with, of course, a multitude of low-budget clown flicks coming out as well. As mentioned before, clowns serve as a useful template for tangible terror that works on a global level, allowing directors to warp what was originally seen as entertainment into true horror. Clowns aren’t going anywhere. They’re here to stay forever and here to scare you half to death. From the first ever recognised ancestor of the modern clown, Joseph Grimaldi, to Art the Clown, history is full of clowns (killer or not), and it is something that serves as a cultural icon. So it is time to grab your grease paint, put on your best clown attire and celebrate our clown royalty.
Who is your favourite killer clown? And how will you be celebrating World Clown Week?
