Creepy Clowns: The Horror Behind the Laughter | Monstrum
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When did clowns-the characters who filled our childhoods with juggling and balloons-become so creepy? For centuries, clowns have worn two faces: as irreverent entertainers, and tricksters who could break social norms. So when stories of scary clowns pop up all over popular culture, it's a sign that we're wondering who clowns really are behind the costume. Do they want to make us laugh? Or scream?
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Written and Hosted by: Dr. Emily Zarka
Written by: Taylor Behnke
Director: David Schulte
Executive Producer: Amanda Fox
Executive Producer: Dr. Emily Zarka
Producer: Thomas Fernandes
Editor/Animator: P.W. Shelton
Editor/Animator: Steven Simone
Illustrator: Samuel Allan
Executive in Charge (PBS): Maribel Lopez
Director of Programming (PBS): Gabrielle Ewing
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Music: APM Music
Descriptive Audio & Captions provided by The Described and Captioned Media Program
Produced by Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios.
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Remember: you can’t have slaughter without laughter
Drawn together truly taught us so much
That's why I call it man's laughter
Especially the laughter of thirsting gods.
so deep
-Best Comment -Best Propic -Best nickname
One of my absolute favorite things about this series is Dr Z's wardrobe subtly reflecting the topic at hand. The oversized black suspenders are a great touch.
The funny thing is that when people try and make their clown designs too overtly scary, it has the opposite effect for me. The clowns that are genuine and earnest do a much better job at being spooky.
clown costumes from the early 1900 are the stuff of nightmares
Same! The normal clowns are scary for me.
Another folkloric connection with Clowns as monsters not mentioned here also ties in with the "Harlequin" which was said to be the leader of a procession of demons as the Devil's own personal emissary on top of Jester/Harlequin imagery being borrowed and featured a lot in demonic and devilish figures which harkens back to such devils as Alichino from Dante's Inferno and their connections to earlier archetypal figures like Herla in stories about the Wild Hunt and early stage plays such as with Arlechinno.
So between those listed in the video and Harlequin folklore, Clowns seem to have always been a form of counter-cultural and anti-conformist vibe to them, which in times of strife and generational upheaval (like the 80's and, well, now) it makes sense that their unsettling, anti-conformist nature and hiding behind a mask with a perpetual smile would contribute to their popularity in both horror and as symbols of anarchy and resistance as anyone who knows what a Guy Fawkes mask is can tell you, lol.
“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.” - Oscar Wilde. I think no other figure exemplifies this on a cultural level, than what Clowns do. Inherently unserious, zany, and meant to be funny but also so detached from normalcy that they are also in of themselves, symbols of the anti-establishment and rebellion and encapsulating the fears of both the new generation and the old in equal measure. From the new generation finding it uncanny and the metaphor of hiding something monstrous behind a ungenuine smile is something the new generations come to learn when they go out into the world from positions of authority, to the old generation seeing their smiling beaming grandchildren say and do things that in no way line up with their own values that they were taught and take something they took for granted and twist it into something scary and new and it becomes a symbol of anarchy, fear and overall... generational anxiety that goes both ways.
"We live in a society" may be a flaccid, shallow statement trying to be a deep and edgy gamerbro, but in terms of clowns, the idea of clowns seeming to represent a shared generational anxiety of both the decay of the system we're born into, but also the changing of the system we've known and what are children want from it instead is best represented by the Clown, the Harlequin leading forth a procession of disorder and pandemonium to the next generation be what it may. Which, with that context, I think its no wonder that Clowns have lasted as long as they do as a figure of both parody and satire, but also as a monster that helps voice both sides of generational anxiety in tumultuous times.
My students were all freaking out in 2016 over the clown panic. I had to keep reminding them that the pranksters weren’t “clowns”, but people dressed as clowns. “Clown” is a profession. If pranksters went around in white coats and stethoscopes, we wouldn’t say they were “killer doctors”! Basically, there’s no such thing as a “wild clown”. Clowns are performers, nothing more. You’ll never see one just out and about unless they are working. When they’d bring up John Wayne Gacy, I’d say that he was a killer who also worked as a clown, not a “killer clown”. The BTK killer installed security systems. Should we be scared of “killer security system techs”?
'Basically, there's no such thing as a "wild clown."'
*begins furiously scribbling notes for a Rare Exports sequel*
I lost 2 classmates to these “clowns.” We weren’t able to save them in time
Thank you! I was disappointed to hear even PBS call most of these people ‘clowns’ as if they really were clowns. Even most of the fictional examples are, in-universe, not real clowns!
Yes and no. A clown isn't exclusively a profession, it's a social role. Appreciate them or not, they were fulfilling the role as clowns by subverting social norms and expectations. At a time of tension and gritty seriousness, they popped up as if to make things worse, and then poof just as quickly they were gone with no harm done.
Intentional or not, I think they made a strong social commentary on the ephemeral and overreacting nature of our modern social anxieties. When so much worse was going on, people chose to panic about people standing around doing nothing. They made clowns of everyone.
It's amazing to me how much Tim Curry's version of Pennywise influenced so many of the "monster clowns" we see today, especially in those tacky Halloween decorations. So many of them emulate Pennywise in every way, with the poofy red wig, usually bald on top, the colorful outfit, and the deep gravely voice that's not even trying to sound cheerful or friendly.
Tim Curry was hilarious to me!
Crouchy from Spirit Halloween is my boi
Excuse me, sir, do you have Prince Albert in a can? you do! Well you better let the poor guy out! Waha Waha Waha
WAHA WAHA WAHA
Jokes on me. I went from being afraid of them as child to performing Commedia dell'arte. Now that's scary.
To hunt the monster, you must become the monster.
@@youremakingprogress144Yes, Moliére will do that to a person.
(Don't shoot me French people! He's awesome. It joke! 🏳️)
I have had the privilege of seeing Pagliacci performed live and let me tell you, even as an "amateur" college production, my GOD that was dark. I am fortunate to not have the phobia of clowns, but it's one of the fears that makes an uncomfortable amount of sense to me. The explanation here and the contexts really help, though - understanding the apparition gives me a handle on it, y'know?
I don't remember if it was 2016 or not, but I very much remember a rash of "clown attacks" here in my own modest city, in Mississippi... It was October. There were people in clown suits wandering the streets of the lower income neighborhoods and at least a dozen kids got terrified by strangers in face paint staring in at their windows. There were a LOT of upset families as I'm sure you can imagine. I don't think anyone got hurt, and I don't think the police ever succeeded in catching any of the pranksters, but it was one of the few times that Halloween wasn't a very happy holiday for me and my family -
"A clown is funny in the circus ring, but what would be the normal reaction to opening a door at midnight and finding the same clown standing there in the moonlight?" -- Lon Chaney
Nah clowns are scary in the circus ring too.
The version I read was Cheney saying "There's nothing scarier than a clown after midnight."
@@barkingmonkee I've heard several versions of the quote at various times and places, but the most reliable-looking source I could find was from a 1960s magazine article by Robert Bloch which attributed the quote from my original post to Lon Chaney.
Bloch went on to say:
"That, to me, is the essence of true horror - the clown, at midnight."
Honestly Im kinda sick of creepy clowns. Like Im not saying people should stop making them, but it will be nice to see a friendly, funny none creepy clown once in a while.
There are nice punk clowns in New Orleans though some of them are jerks too. A thriving but niche scene.
David Arquette who really likes clowns and what they can represent in fun and laughter, has been trying to do something to bring them into a good light for people to enjoy. But I had heard about that around two years ago. Not sure what exactly he's done, except for a couple of things to help them out. And I haven't heard anything more recently, but I wish him and the clown profession the best for now, and in the future..
I would like all these chapters to be in the future seasons of Monstrum.
*Sea Serpents
*Leviathan
*The Headless Horseman ✅
*Phantom Vehicles
*Boogeyman
*Ghosts
*Possessed Dolls ✅
*Shadow People
*Undead
*Goblins
*Bigfoot ✅
*Man-Eating Plants ✅
*Creepy Clowns ✅
*Killer Robots
*Swamp Monsters
*The Mummy ✅️
*Living Scarecrows
*The Invisible Man
*Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
*Merfolk
*Demons
*Skeletons
*Stingy Jack (Jack of The Lantern)
*Gnomes
*Sea Monsters that attacked Submarines
*Alien Abductions ✅
*Ogres
*Ghouls
*Lich
*Cyborgs ✅
*Witches
*Kaiju
*Cthulhu ✅
*The Rake
*Revenants
*Vampires
*Dagon
*Ogopogo
*Colossal Claude
*Spectral Carriages
*Kappa
*Flatwoods Monster
*The Flying Dutchman
*El Charro Negro
*La Santa Compaña
*Davy Jones & the Undead Pirates
*Mutants
*Beast People of Dr. Moreau
*The Picture of Dorian Gray
*Haunted Houses
*Jiangshi
*Ahuizotl
*Gremlins
They haven't done rapi... i mean vampires yet?
The scarecrows and spectral vehicles would be amazing! Have they done the flying Dutchman yet?
I'll add manticores and the nagloper, both of which I first saw in Time-Life's Mysteries of the Unkown book series.
Dr. Z did do an episode on kaiju, her favorite is Mothra!
What are revenants?
I agree about Dorian Gray and kappa.
"Since the 1980's, clowns have taken a drastic turn."
*The Joker (A literal Killer Clown From the 1940's):* Am I joke to you?
Dr. Zarka reminded me of that joke from Watchmen, about the depressed man seeking a doctor for help, who tells him to go watch the Great Clown Pagliacci, only for the man to exclaim, _"But Doc...I _*_am_*_ the Great Clown Pagliacci."_
Great ending to the video about the makeup. It was like a plot twist, turning from social commentary to philosophy.
Yes! I thought of this, too! And Rorschach was the character telling the joke (as part of the narration), by the way, to anyone curious.
The earliest known version of the joke was about Joseph Grimaldi, ironically enough. (His offstage life was not very funny.)
I will always argue that Pennywise in the 1990 IT mini-series is infinitely more terrifying than the 2017/2019 movies because he looks so.... *normal* in the mini-series. Lots of times he appears, you could believe he's just another goofy guy. This goofy act makes sense that kids could be lured in by him (if not for the modern prevalence of the killer clown trope). NO ONE would believe the new Pennywise was just a fun, affable clown. OF COURSE he's going to murder you, just look at him!
I'd argue that the 2017 version looks like he suffers from some sort of new skull-and-brain disease.
I was surprised that you didn't bring up how the Joker is a creepy clown not only for the obvious reasons of his character, but also due to how he was created in the first place. The "Batman" creators have stated that the Joker was inspired by Conrad Veidt's performance as Gwynplaine in the 1928 silent film adaptation of "The Man Who Laughs", a novel by Victor Hugo.
In the story, Gwynplaine is the son of a rebellious nobleman and, as a punishment to his father, King James II orders for Gwynplaine's face to be disfigured into a permanent grin. Gwynplaine, abandoned by the men who did this to him and knowing nothing of his noble background, grows up to be a clown, living a harsh-but-happy life with his sweetheart, a blind girl named Dea, and Ursus, a peddler who serves as a surrogate father to them both. But when Gwynplaine's past is found out by Queen Anne's court, he's whisked away to be reinstated to his father's titles because the aristocrats think he'll be a fool who can easily be controlled. Gwynplaine proves them wrong with an epic speech, warning the nobles that their luxury which comes from other people's suffering won't last and also expressing pity for them, saying that while only his flesh was disfigured, their hearts were misshapen to fit within their glittering palaces and thus, they sufftered a worse fate.
And yet all the "Batman" creators apparently saw in Gwynplaine was a spooky clown, completely missing the point of his story while also giving a dark reflection of what it could have been had Gwynplaine not been saved by his found family. That's why I love the film "Joker" so much. It, more than any other take on the character, references the Joker's real-life origins both in the cinematography and the film's story itself. Seriously, if you watch "Joker" and "The Man Who Laughs" back-to-back, the resemblances and references are uncanny, and I really wish more people would talk about it.
I don't understand why people hate clowns in a world where ventriloquists exist.
I dont like clowns or ventriloquist dummies.
I know! I find them boring but ventriloquists are so freaky and creepy
🤣
I mean pick your theatre poison. I quite like voice throwers. If I had the ability my educator job would be a lot more entertaining
People hate both surely
I feel like people born after the turn of the century have only ever seen clowns in a negative light. Like, I was born in 1985 and I had a childrens book about some famous clown that was remarkable because it had my name in it! Clowns were common features in play rooms and toys and such...I feel like that really went away in the 90s. I blame the movie version of IT. 🤣
I actually learned some clownery at my church growing up. Balloon animals, how to fall properly, make-up, etc.
John Wayne Gacy didn’t help either
I definitely remember that nightmare sequence from the Brave Little Toaster. That scene scared me so much as a kid I was afraid to watch the movie again for years. And that was just one scene that scared me.
Yes, I remember that movie being quite scary in multiple parts when I saw it as a kid, too.
Was hoping the koshare of the Pueblo peoples would get name dropped in the historical part. They are also known as sacred clowns and are involved in ritualized social satire, which is pretty cool
I've never heard of koshare. Do they resemble other clowns in any way?
@MatthewTheWanderer
They use face and body paint to obscure their identities and do comedic routines. I mostly know them from one book in a mystery novel series focusing on tribal police investigations.
Heh. I'm not afraid of clowns, but I know a few who are. Love the examination of their transition from laughter to terror.
Born in the early 1960s-and I’ve ALWAYS thought clowns were creepy. Real eyes in fake face. Nope!
I actually like clowns and I think it’s kinda sad that the media has made them scary as default. Not every clown is a killer clown. Ultimately, clowns are just people underneath the makeup who want to entertain you and get a little attention.
It's something weird about defying expectations of silliness, joviality, pratfalls, and goofy honking-noses with some awful terror. Thanks for the great video!
Watching this, I made a poem. Not about sympathetic monster clowns, but at least about the idea of sympathetic monster clowns.
And it made me realize that even in fictional marginalized groups have their own marginalized groups. We see people champion for vampires for the flesh columns for the werewolf even for the demons but I don’t know about anybody who champions of the monster clown
what if the creatures of legend are real, and we dont know it.
I think the fear of clowns has changed a little. Considering the internet has been loving characters like Geiru Toneido (Ace Attorney) and Pomni. (The Amazing Digital Circus)
IT and Clown (2014) are brilliant horror films, and IT is the reason I became a horror writer in the first place.
Yeah they're great, but there needed to at least be something equally warm and innocent to counteract that horror that was put onto clowns to keep them from being looked at as nothing BUT monsters for so many people out there. I miss the days of my childhood when I had the privilege to watch certain TV shows, and know about clowns before all the really negative outlook happened for them..
I pity those regular clowns who just want to give joy and laughter during a show. Their job has been treated badly in horror movies. I'm just glad my kids were not scared of clowns
My personal favorite fictional clown is Sweet Tooth from the Twisted Metal franchise. So messed up but so great. Loved this video!
I think the scary clowns stem from the fear of childhood being corrupted and the aspect of taking the joke too far
@@Eet_Mia yeah him too. He really didn't help
The fall of 2016 in Utah was scary for me in other ways. I worked at a Haunted house that is circus themed. So we hade MANY "killer clowns". My mom got calls from church friends, family, and people in the neighborhood asking if I was safe. My principal asked me to give a speech about "real killer clowns" and how "we" where really nice. I had customers say they would un-alive me if I scared them. My brothers offered to pick me and my friends up from work if there was any scary customers. I was 17 and trying to get some cash for Christmas.
So people actually paid to enter a show featuring scary clowns and then threatened you not for being scary clown? Uncanny, man 🤔
6:45
Someone living in the 'Land of the free', who is free to do so, puts on a clown costume for a prank. People immediately interpret 'freedom' to mean that they're allowed to shoot them for that.
That's honestly the scariest thing to me.
Not sure I agree with your assessment of Ronald McDonald as "kid-friendly", Dr Z 😅
Hippity hoppity, your arteries are now my property.
I love it when there's a connection between the fictional things that scare us (evil clowns) and the things that present a danger in our real lives. I also really like the idea that regardless if they're there as a way to cause laughter or terror, clowns can be seen during times of societal tension. I mean, it's BONKERS that here in the States, the clown scare took place the exact year of the 2016 presidential election. I always loved trickster figures, but have been relatively turned off by clowns. Now though? Clowns are probably the closest thing we have to irl, tangible tricksters. And I find that amazing.
Also, I now need to watch that opera cuz killer clown or not, a clown singing opera is something I need to see.
Have you ever heard of "Puddles Pity Party"? He's a giant clown who sings pop and rock songs very well.
There was a killer clown scare in the 1980s that probably inspired _IT_ and _Killer Klowns From Outer Space_ (among other books and movies). Spider-Woman punched out a killer disguised as a clown in her comic.
Big Comfy Couch reference?! Thought I couldn’t love this show any more than I do… holy nostalgia.
The actress who played Loonette was really hot, in real life, too!
I convinced my niece the title was the Big Hungry Couch and it ate everything. She thought it was hillarious.
Honestly I wonder what it's like working as a professional clown these days, like I imagine it's not easy anymore and clown school has to adapt somehow
I just realised... KISS are just clowns!! 😂
I’ve noticed a more recent trend towards creepy Santa. It’s like anything from our childhood is eventually used to scare us.
Why doesn't the video have a thumbnail? He also lacked the title in it.
You forgot to mention video game creepy clowns such as the clown gremlins and Goliath clowns from Dark Deception, Circus Baby from FNAF: Sister Location, and the clowns from CarnEvil.
A good depiction of scary clowns is Velma Dinkley's phobia of clowns in the episode A Terrifying Round With A Metallic Menacing Clown of What's New, Scooby-Doo?
you mentioned Jack Nicholson's joker from the 1980's but Batman had the evil clown-the Joker for decades before that, and think of Caesar Romero's 'clown prince of crime" in the 1960's tv show.
I used to wonder why the 2016 clown phenomenon didn’t seem to catch on here in Eastern Europe, but now I’m pretty sure that the harmless jokers would’ve invariably get assaulted. Great video, as always.
The aliens in Killer Clowns from Outer Space were no disguised as clowns, they actually looked like clowns.
I fuckin love clowns and I am so sad they got creepified. Clowns are amazing and don't deserve the hate they get these days.
As a child I had a recurring nightmare about Ronald MacDonald. I've always found clowns and dolls to be very creepy. Clowns were never kooky innocent figures to me. They've always been monsters, especially when I was a child.
hm. I guess I get the whole possible monster behind the mask aspect, but I've never been scared of clowns, and I still don't get it outside of those that prove to be an active threat. So really it is just the aspect of "this person could be dangerous because they look different." To be fair, I can see how positions like jester and modern day entertainers can be abused and used to lure in or get close to victims, but I was never particularly bothered by them. The idea itself never scared me, and I guess I forgot or slept through that clown part of The Brave Little Toaster. Or maybe I just didn't care. I don't remember the nightmare sequence doing much for the story, but then again that movie was stolen so I never really got to watch it again. I always wanted to as a kid though.
Odd timing for a Monstrum Clown Episode, but ok. XD
"Copycat Clowns" is a great title for a book. Maybe a memoir. ;-P
“So when did these silly, funny staples of our childhoods become monsters?”
Hehe. Right. “Become”.
Cool! I thought there might be a mention of the sinister Irish Amadan-dubh, often considered a fairy jester, described as resembling mummers.
I'm highly patient for a video that covers bats bad reputation following stories of vampires, cinema, and vampire bat bites with rabies being official reported. Also, I think everyone wants to have a video about the history of the dinosaurs as monsters in movies and the impact Jurassic Park had on the world. Lastly, can you please do a video on the story of the mysterious Aye-aye lemur from Madagascar and it's demonized reputation?
what if the creatures of legend are real, and we dont know it.
Especially since bats used to be associated with good fortune in China...
Hobo clowns are the most dangerous because they're hungry.
I kinda wanna do a series about people who turn into terrifying clowns but are heroes who protect people, and turn the creepy clown trope on its head.
honestly I prefer the comical and classic Clowns, not the Creepy Clowns. then not only that, I don't understand this novelty of some films making a horror reinterpretation of the children's television series from years past? as:
"THE BANANA SPLITS" from 1970 and make it in 2019: "The Banana Splits Movie", and what makes me "boil my blood" (with anger): "winnie the pooh blood and honey". but why? It's okay that Christopher Robin had become an adult, but making Winnie the Pooh and his friends murderers is not right for me. with this criterion it is as good as it is like have the Xenomorph from Alien, Chucky and Freddy Krueger become "colleagues" of the Teletubbies or the Muppets from Sesame Street!
(now I understand the "terror behind the smile")
I had no idea that people were asking if they could shoot clowns on site or about the Clown Riot (? clown riot?). How awful!! But I guess not totally unexpected. People suck.
p.s. I think I blocked out that clown in The Brave Little Toaster. I just remember thinking that movie was both horrifying and depressing, but I couldn't remember why.
Poor clowns 😞. I don’t think they’re inherently scary and I feel bad for clowns that just want to cheer people up and bring a smile to people’s faces.
Yeah one older woman performer in my state that just wanted to make kids laugh and smile at festive gatherings had trouble for awhile, trying to book events, because of the whole clown fear thing. I haven't heard anything about her in a long while, but I hope she did at least a little well, before she may have gone into retirement, maybe.🫤
I'm not afraid of clowns, but I do think most of them are weird and/or creepy. One time I got a haircut somewhere that had pictures of clowns all over its walls for seemingly no reason, lol.
Weird you didn't mention "The Man who Laughed" or the "Joker's" first appearance in comics in 1940. You are right about King's novel though. The evil clown was here to stay, at that point.
Back in 2016, I never heard about the clown sightings, just Trump's campaign. Which did concern my family.
Sorry, had to pause at the Uncanny Valley graph. How in the fork are Bunraku Puppets that far out of the valley? I fully recognize that my coulrophobia is outside the norm, but surely we can all get down on how creepy those things are, right?
EDIT: Sorry - Derry, Me isn't a suburb. It's a city.
i always HATED clown, as a kid , teen etc.....................until one fateful day, looking for a costume for halloween, no costume were at my size.....................except one, a black and white creepy clown costume.
i tested the costume at home, wear the mask..............then looked in the mirror, i didn't saw myself, i only saw the clown, hearing my breathing under the mask,
it was like i was inside another body, felt like i was the spectator of a show only me knew about.
and i had the night of my life, most people in the neighbors were intrigued by my costume, a few seem really terrified.............reaction from kids were mixed too.
it was amazing.
Rusty Nails. My local, (Portland) kid friendly clown from the 60' and 70's. Even got to meet him (in character) in the early 2000's. Great guy.
Two things came to mind during/after watching this video: #1. The Insane Clown Posse, & #2. The clowns from Disney's animated classic, "Dumbo." The circus clowns in "Dumbo" were one of the (more or less) villainous groups of the film, (the other groups being the cold-shoulder elephants and the abusive human spectators and circus ringmaster.)
As a kid they scared me. I don’t know how old it was at the time, but as a family, we went to go see a circus, there were some clowns that came into the audience, and I was screaming, bloody murder.
The uncanny valley thing is not unique to humans, as can be deduced from the video Kitty Scared of Inflatable Black Cat by Jacob Chronicles (I would provide a link, but just in case it gets deleted, I left the title and uploader of the video for you to find yourselves).
I remember the clown scare of 2017 ( or 2016 I don't remember) I was in the last year of middle school, I was walking home ( it was a spring day), as I turn a corner, across the street was some dude I guess about 17 or older was standing ( my middle school was a block away from a graveyard so it didn't help) in a clown mask. I didn't get another look because I heard stories about clowns doing crazy stuff so I booked it until I got home
Couldn't help thinking of Juggalos as I watched this- not my thing personally, but in spite of the evil clown imagery, the few I've known were just really sweet-hearted folks.
Came here as soon as I could! Let's go Monstrum!
Would love to see more brazilian folklore too! Headless mule and Pink river dolphin are amazing, definetely would make a good content here.
Well. I was gonna sleep tonight. I pretty much try to every night... But nope. Won't be happening tonight!
U forgot we also have Pennywise from Bill Skaarsgard and then there’s also Puddles from AGT
Ronald McDonald made fewer appearances since 2016 due to the 2016 clown sightings. However, as of 2017, he was still appearing at live events and on social media.
I would say even more famously than Pennywise, Joker from Batman is probably very responsible for creepy/scary/murderous clowns.
Twisted things, begot of Nephilim and elfin strings.
They wear the masks & marks, the burdens of the Jettatore,
an unfair lot, from the cot to the grave is theirs.
More curse than blessing, leary smile, bagged eyes, yet wiles.
There’s a couple of times people have made myths about the origins of clowns
Once in a movie it was a demon that ate children and over the years the myth changed and what started as a story about a monster turned into a story about a funny man
The other is a video on here that said clowns started as a vision or hallucination by victims of the Black Death and the hallucination was of a deformed noseless entity with flames for hair and doctors would dress as this entity to honor the fallen patients
Can you do Jekyll and Hyde next?
Or is there an issue with copyright or something like that?
Edit: If you alredy did an episode on him/them, I can't find it.
I'd argue that the Joker has always been a scary clown since his introduction in Batman #1 where he was a deranged clown-themed murderer.
His more silly iterations began in the Silver Age when he became a clown-themed bank robber.
Those Pagliacci lyrics: "Laugh, Clown, About your broken love! Laugh at the pain that poisons your heart! (Ridi, Pagliaccio, Sul tuo amore infranto! Ridi del duol che t'avvelena il cor!)"
I live in Green Bay, WI and I remember hearing about the clown sightings. When the short film about the clown was playing at a film festival, I went to go see it and even got my picture taken with the clown, who was named Gags.
The clowns trope highlights the human nature to make fun of people society looks down on. The makeup of the modern clown comes from hobos. The homeless hobo had an alcohol addiction hence the big red nose, messy hair, and stumbling disposition. Their clothes were often hand-me-downs that were mismatched and didn’t fit, such as the large oversized shoes. This is why I don’t like clowns. It’s not ok to laugh at someone with a disorder and on hard times.
God I remember the clowns of 2016. I was in high school and I remember talking about it with kids in my French class. Those were freaky, and I think really solidified my discomfort of clowns.
Interesting that there is no mention of indigenous Trickster Clowns and their roles in society. Would love to hear more about them, perhaps with direct storytelling from indigenous Elders, instead of generalized colonized academic articles.
As someone who knows someone who has been a professional clown for years and years (and who is also a very nice person) I find the whole "Evil, killer clown" thing incredibly stupid
PLEASE DO AN EPISODE ON FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S
I was starting college back then and had to walk every day from college to an off campus apartment. I had a test on Holloween night and was afraid I would get ambushed by clowns.
I never understood the fear of clowns. I don't know why but I never feared them, not even the scary ones. Even when the 2016 clown panic happened and it turns out that it was all a prank, I wanted to join in on the fun. The only downside was I was afraid to run into the wrong person and meet the business end of the knife.
Please don't make clowns scary its an actual job that's a lot pf worm to do well and with circus is gone kaput they're already in a hot spot as it is. So if you see your local clown, don't be afraid. Say hello and maybe just maybe pay for a show
Could you do an episode on the incubus and succubus
I heard about a theory claiming the appearance of the clowns in 2016 was to promote the IT remake.
i actually search up about the 2016 clown sightngs and this video recommend to me must be a coincidence tbh 😰🤡
I remember a classmate from high school told me WHY she was so petrified of clowns:
Her mom went to Blockbuster to rent a movie for her when she (My friend) was like, 5 years old. Without looking at the plot of the movie, or even asking if it's any good to the guy at checkout, she sees the VHS cover of STEPHEN KING'S IT and went "Oh, look, it's a movie about a clown! My daughter would love that!" and proceeded to rent it and give my poor friend a phobia plus many nightmares for life. (Mother of the Year, folks!🤦♀)
You can't make these things up.☹
Put on a happy face, folks!
Earlier, I was literally thinking “when did clowns become scary?”!!
We have a creepy clown who haunts a village up the road from us in Scotland. It's fun.
I have never liked clowns...
I'm okay with the professionals....it's the amateur "Knights of Columbus coming to your petting zoo opening" that worry me
I once read that the classic clown look was inspired by minstrel shows. Think about that for a moment.
Man the clowns of 2016 I was in high school and we had a haunted house which we chose circus themed because of what was happening but we were told we couldn’t have clowns even though the whole clown thing was the reason we chose the theme
Ya’ll can thank John Wayne Gacy.
Can we get one on monkeys as a horror icon? The monkeys paw is a great example but growing up there was always a spooky monkey like statue that became fear fodder for our uncle to torment us kids with
Bunraku Puppet? That’s interesting. Will we see an episode on that?