Clowns are, by default, scary as all hell. We all know this, even if sometimes we pretend otherwise. That’s why this week sees the release of horror film Clown, about an unwitting dad who puts on a clown suit he finds in the attic, only to discover it’s no suit at all — it’s the skin of a demon. A demon who is also a clown, presumably. Maybe he does shows in Hell? The trailer doesn’t make it clear, which is clearly just a ploy to make us go see the film.
Anyway, the point is, clowns are freaky. Here are some of the freakiest. These 7 horrific clowns scared us to death.
1. Pennywise from It
Let’s just get him out of the way, ‘cause we all thought of him first. The It miniseries, adapted from Stephen King’s book, wasn’t that great. But Tim Curry was absolutely terrifying as the creepy demon clown thing from outer space, and none of us will ever get over it.
2. The Doll from Poltergeist
Technically a clown doll rather than full clown, but it’s still an icon. I haven’t seen last year’s remake, but I’ve gotta admit that the clown looked pretty freaky there too.
3. The Jester from Krampus
Let’s just get all the dolls out of the way at once. Not sure if he’s more clown or jester, but either way I want absolutely nothing to do with him.
4. All of Them from Killer Klowns from Outer Space
Look, I’m not going to lie, I haven’t seen this movie. But I really want to. Like, so bad. Just look at it!
5. Twisty from American Horror Story
I mean, just look at that. Do I really need to say any more?
6. Zombie Clown from Zombieland
By the time Zombieland came out, you might think Hollywood had pushed the limits of coulrophobia. That’s why the only way to go was extend into other horror sub-genres — thus, the zombie clown. Keep an eye out for vampire clowns and mummy clowns over the next few years.
7. The Clown Bed from The Simpsons
This one scene is responsibility for instilling a fear of clowns into whole generations of kids. Thanks, Matt Groening. Now, everybody say it with me:
Watch the trailer for Clown below.
Clown is going to scare the crap out of you starting June 17, 2016.
