Insane Clown Posse: Has Horror Changed the Art of Clowning? In a world where big red noses, wild wigs, and over-the-top smiles are meant to elicit joy, clowns have found themselves grappling with another kind of reputation. A study from the University of South Wales, encompassing nearly 1,000 adults across 64 countries, revealed a startling truth: more than half the respondents expressed fear of clowns. Los Angeles-based drag clown, screenwriter, and author Jester Le Roux highlights that the very features designed to charm can instead tap into our primal fears, saying, “While I know some of the sweetest clowns in the world, the archetypal clown is extremely creepy.” They stir up memories of the uncanny valley—those surreal, unsettling feelings that surface when we encounter something that resembles a human but falls just short.
Hallie Garcia, who’s dabbled in both party and therapeutic clowning, echoes this sentiment about the unpredictability of clowns. “Even in fun environments,” she explains, “the unpredictable nature of clowns can trigger fear and anxiety.” The evolution of clowns is intricate, tracing back to ancient jesters from Egypt, Greece, and Rome. The cinematic villainy of clowns began with the 1924 film He Who Gets Slapped, showcasing a scientist turned clown after losing everything to a conniving baron.
Fast forward to the 1940s, and the DC Comics Batman series popularized the sinister clown archetype through The Joker, infamously portrayed by actors like Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger over the years. The genre expanded further with the chilling 1976 Canadian film The Clown Murders, where Halloween revelers don clown costumes for nefarious purposes, paired with the real-life horrors of John Wayne Gacy—who, due to his history as a clown performer, became known as The Killer Clown.
Movies like Poltergeist and Killer Klowns from Outer Space took the clown horror to new heights, establishing the trope of clowns as malevolent figures capable of unspeakable violence. The 1990s introduced Pennywise from Stephen King’s It, an extraterrestrial clown that haunts children every 27 years in the fictional town of Derry, Maine. King’s choice of a clown character is no accident; he recognized clowns’ inherent ability to evoke dread, which may explain the surge of coulrophobia—fear of clowns—reported in a 2022 University of Leeds study after the film’s release.
While clown horror movies grew in popularity, with a reported 20% of clown films in the 2000s being horror-themed and jumping to 45% in the 2010s, mainstream concerns about clowns surged. The World Clown Association reported a significant decline in membership, dropping from about 3,500 to 2,500 over ten years. Furthermore, sightings of individuals dressed as menacing clowns across various cities in 2016 only fueled their negative public perception.
Despite these setbacks, some clowns believe horror has not dealt a deadly blow to the profession. Bob Bowker, known as Bibbledy Bob, countered the narrative, noting, “Most clowns perform for children under 10, while horror films like It cater to an adult audience.” Le Roux also chimed in, saying that the fears generated by horror have pushed clowns to innovate and adapt, leading to exciting new forms of expression within the art.
Others, like seasoned haunt actor Pongo Joe, argue that the intersection of horror and clowning has reshaped entertainment culture. “Clowns resonate with people in unique ways,” he says, pointing out their dual ability to terrify and amuse in haunted attractions. Thus, rather than undermining the art of clowning, horror has expanded it.
As anticipation builds for the release of Terrifier 3 and with countless scare attractions popping up globally, the profession of clowning remains vibrant, estimated to comprise up to 100,000 practitioners today. As Le Roux puts it succinctly: “Even if people fear clowns, they can’t help but be captivated by our ability to defy human convention.” This duality is where the true charm of clowning lies.