Clowns, Clowns, Clowns

Many people dislike clowns.  Many people find clowns creepy.  Clowns are not creepy intrinsically, but “creepy clowns” are often depicted in the media.  These depictions feed into a pre-existing unease that many feel towards clowns.

Perhaps the best-known and most effective creepy clown in the history of movies is “Pennywise” from the Steven King movie “It”.  Pennywise looks very much like “Bozo”, except with razor sharp teeth and a proclivity to lead children to their grisly demise.  Other than his nasty demeanor, there is nothing creepy about Pennywise.  He doesn’t wear an “evil clown costume”, for instance.  In the story of “It”, Pennywise is a tormentor of a group of friends.  Certainly this is a potent image for people who already dislike clowns.

More recently, Heath Ledger’s famous portrayal of “The Joker” in the movie “The Dark Knight” has added fuel to the anti-clown fires.  Though nothing at all like Pennywise, The Joker still managed to unsettle viewers.  The Joker is a very creepy clown.  He is a criminal and a sadist.  He delights in the psychological, and sometimes actual, torture of others.  He also robs a bank, in the opening of the film, wearing an evil clown costume.

Before either of these two characters were unleashed on the public consciousness, people already disliked clowns.  After seeing those two creepy clowns, however, some people truly hate clowns.  The fear or distrust of clowns is so palpable that some costume makers have actually begun selling “evil clown costumes”.  They look like a traditional Bozo-type clown, except the teeth will be sharp and there will be blood around the mouth or on the hands.  Also, one evil clown costume I saw advertised during the last Halloween season was a clown in a mental patient’s gown.  Clearly a lot of people find clowns creepy.

To someone afraid of clowns, a few creepy clowns may seem to represent all clowns.  But there are a great many clowns who aren’t creepy or evil.  Clown costumes themselves are meant not to spark fear but rather to amuse and delight.  Still, some clown costumes are specifically evil.  This is more in response to people’s existing fear of clowns rather than a cause of that fear.

A clown can be creepy without wearing an evil clown costume.  Someone wearing an evil clown costume would probably be creepy to anyone.  But even a nice, loveable circus scamp might cause some consternation to people who find clowns creepy.  There really is nothing to fear from nice clowns, though.  Creepy clowns, on the other hand, are scary and should be avoided by everyone.