Because you're mostly going to get pictures of this guy
In case you aren't familiar, the above photo is of Pennywise the Dancing Clown. I first encountered him in 1990 when I watched the televised version of Stephen King's IT. I was 9 years old. I STILL have nightmares. I read the book in high school which reinforced the fear. Sometimes, I swear, I wake up and hear him saying: "BEEP BEEP, Mattie! They ALL float down here. When you're down here with us, you'll float too!" While Pennywise is probably the most horrifying clown in existence, he wasn't the only grease-painted nightmare that plagued my childhood.
This is John Wayne Gacy
My mom is not a horror fan. I had to sneak to watch IT on television and kept the book hidden from her as well. She does love True Crime, however. That's how I found about John Wayne Gacy. Mr. Gacy was also known as The Killer Clown and proves that sometimes real life is more horrifying than fiction. He killed over 33 men and young boys in the mid-1970's. He lured most victims back to his home where he raped and tortured them before killing them and stuffing their bodies in the crawlspace beneath his house. He was executed in 1994.
And then there are these guys...
There were also The Killer Klowns from Outer Space, The Joker from Batman, Violator from Spawn, Zeebo the Clown from Are You Afraid of the Dark and a host of others to terrify the beejesus out of any coulrophobe. Coulrophobia is a fear of clowns, in case you wanted to know. Check out the links below for other examples to haunt your dreams.
It seems a bit ironic that figures that were originally comical have morphed into some of the most terrifying creatures imaginable in the modern age. Perhaps The Insane Clown Posse and their Juggalo brethren will soon return clowns to the laughingstocks they used to be. Only time will tell.
Happy Halloween, everybody.
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