Page 22 - FearFinder 2022 2

By Paul Counelis

Coulrophobia is a fairly recent term, even though the fear it One of the most famous “evil” clowns is Pennywise, the Masters of Horror episode, “We All Scream for Ice Cream”, and
signifies is very, very old. It is the fear of clowns, those unknown clown from the Stephen King movie (and book) “It”. The raun- Woody Harrelson and company battle an undead clown in the
white faced funny men and women from traveling circuses and chy Pennywise is played with barely disguised glee by the great horror/comedy “Zombieland”.
various sideshows all over the world. They’re supposed to pro- Tim Curry (who also found himself under greasepaint for a Halloween, that magical old holiday, is a showcase for many
vide comedy relief to the events, racing in and out of the rings very different type of character in “The Rocky Horror Picture different types of clowns, both of the pleasant and more un-
on unicycles, or throwing pies, or climbing out of tiny cars by Show”). For many of today’s young adults, Pennywise is the pleasant variety. Kids have seemingly always dressed up as
the dozen. Ceramic clown figurines are compiled by collectors, very reason for that fear of clowns. clowns for the annual “trick or treat” jubilee. But at some early
rummaging through yard sales and flea markets in search of But even in the cinematic world, the clown has it’s begin- point during the making of spookshows, haunt walkthroughs
that elusive piece to add to their displays. nings in much earlier examples. Lon Chaney Sr., also known as and haunted house displays, someone realized that there was an
They’ve been around since ancient times, representing both “The Man of a Thousand Faces”, played clowns in silent films on extreme fear of those decorated denizens of demonstration, and
the duality of man (good and evil) and the foolish side of hu- several occasions, notably the movies “He Who Gets Slapped” evil clowns began to seep deeply into the Halloween celebration.
manity. For many, they were even a cheery sight during the Clowns are now a staple of Halloween haunts, with their
Great Depression, the ‘tramp’ style clownings and attempts to features even more exaggerated in order to cast memorable
lighten the dreary mood, inspired by one of the true geniuses of feelings of fright into the gathered customers. At any spook
the time, Charlie Chaplin. “Amidst the mists and coldest frosts house, including haunts as prolific as Universal’s Horror Nights,
But what sinister differences lurk behind the makeup? What it’s not unusual to see harlequin harbingers of harassment
lies underneath those painted masks? Or, as someone who has With barest wrists and stoutest boasts with long, sharp teeth hanging menacingly from ever sneering
a genuine fear of clowns might disturbingly ask, “What are they mouths, their eyebrows painted into an unchanging, damnable
hiding?” He thrusts his fists against the posts leer. Simply put, these clowns are designed to strike terror into
The fear of clowns may have much of it’s origin in the young. those unsuspecting people, whether they arrived with a fear of
With their exaggerated features, round red noses, large gro- clowns or not.
tesquely depicted mouths…some think that the anxiety of a And still insists he sees the ghosts.” But perhaps even stranger than the intentional scares caused
person with a very real fear of these disguised jesters comes by the haunt community’s made up monsters is the cowardly
from a clown that a person may have seen as a child, possibly reaction of an otherwise reasonable adult in the presence of an
even when that person was just a baby and learning to tell the average, happy circus clown. “I lack the adjectives and nouns to
difference between facial features. For many, it is said, they (released in 1924) and the well titled “Laugh, Clown, Laugh” do justice to the clowns,” wrote Ogden Nash, and knowing deep
don’t yet know how to process the unlikely being, despite the (1928). He is said to have related to clowns and circus people in down that the clown is just a person dressed up in colorful garb
clown’s overall good nature and pleasant appearance. general, with their gypsy-like and mysterious lifestyles. and covered in face paint does not seem to make a difference.
Some wonder if the real life evil clowns of the seventies One of the most memorable early onscreen clowns was It’s that kind of reaction that prompted the initial look into the
injected a subconscious fear into society that carries through played by Conrad Veidt, a chillingly striking vision in the German fear of clowns as a phobia, and that exact reaction that assures
still today, with reports of their repulsive crimes airing on the film “The Man Who Laughs”. This insidious looking character that clowns will remain a huge part of horror and Halloween for
televisions and radios of the era. was the inspiration for yet another famous, evil clown: Batman’s many years to come.
Others suggest that the original intent of a clown was to arch-nemesis in DC Comics, The Joker. And for many, as relevant to the hallowed fearfest as the
strike fear into the hearts of misbehaving children, and thus More recent films portraying clowns as the stuff of night- similarly gaudy smile of the jack o’lantern, or the ever present
stories of clowns were used as a form of discipline or pun- mares include Tobe Hooper’s classic haunted house epic cackle of the mythical broomstick traveling witch, jutting into
ishment, much like many of the fairy tales accepted into the “Poltergeist” and Hooper’s lesser known grindhouse style trip an iconic silhouette and casting shadows on the harvest moon.
“normal” world. into the grimy carnival world, “The Funhouse”. Campy “Killer
Whatever the intention, and where ever this fear started, Klowns From Outer Space” invaded theaters and drive-ins in
there is no doubt that clowns have become a big part of the 1988, thanks to the efforts of the Chiodo Brothers. Even more
horror and Halloween worlds. recently, director Tom Holland explored the fear of clowns in his

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