Clowns—Fun or Frightening?

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As Halloween approaches, the number of horror movies on TV will multiply. Some will surely feature maniacal, homicidal clowns. Why is that? And why do so many of us shudder at the sight of a harmless person in face paint, a big red nose, and floppy shoes?

Rest assured, psychologists have looked into the question. They tell us that clowns with a darker side actually have a long history—starting in ancient Egypt. In the early 1800s, an English entertainer named Joseph Grimaldi became a wildly popular clown. His private life was wretched, however. Family tragedy, alcoholism, and physical disability caused by his on-stage antics led to poverty and an untimely death. The famous author Charles Dickens wrote about Grimaldi, creating in the public’s eye the clown who is a manic but cheerless figure.

That melancholy creation has never quite gone away. After the sad clown, like Emmitt Kelly’s “Weary Willie” in the 1930s–1950s, clown images became more sinister. Examples include the murderous clown doll in Poltergeist, Stephen King’s deadly Pennywise the Clown from It, and Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight. Psychologists suggest that such negative versions are replacing positive clown images.

One reason we find these characters so creepy is that they are disguised by make-up. Adults learn not to trust people who hide their true selves. But how do children feel about clowns? Scholars’ opinions differ. One psychologist observed that at about age two, children start feeling anxiety about strangers. The fact that a child can’t always separate reality from fantasy can make a clown very frightening indeed. A 2008 study in England reported that a majority of kids aged four to sixteen disliked or even feared clowns. By contrast, an Italian study indicates that interacting with clowns helps reduce anxiety in children who are scheduled for minor surgery.

Image Credit: © Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division

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24 Comments

  1. swan says:

    i will beat the clowns

  2. swan says:

    chuckes going down

  3. swan says:

    scary

  4. devon_got_swag says:

    i love creepy homicidle clowns

  5. KFC fc says:

    i havent had a concussion yet and i play basketball and volleyball

  6. shelby says:

    clowns are scary

  7. Lauren says:

    Clowns are really scary I HATE CLOWNS!!!!!!!!

  8. sandy the squirrel says:

    frightening

  9. maria sumale says:

    i love clown i don’t think they are scary

  10. domanic says:

    i hate them…

  11. logan says:

    hey

  12. logan says:

    hey

  13. Jack! says:

    Okay, WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH CLOWNS!?

  14. mr beast says:

    clowns scare the bejesus out of me

  15. Alex says:

    Who wrote this article??

  16. Kat says:

    They scare the Chris out of me

  17. gik-to-wik says:

    clowns are ok sometime but some make a fool out of you on your birthday those I hate

  18. poipo says:

    oh ya

  19. delaine says:

    I HATE CLOWNS !!!!!

  20. Anonymous says:

    clowns are both fun and scary

  21. spongebob says:

    clowns are freaky and how do fit in that car

  22. luke704 says:

    clowns stalk you all

  23. Kari says:

    clowns actually really freak the crap out of me,
    no offense

  24. Alexandria says:

    Do you want to see a magic trick?