Fear in Film: Send in the Clowns

The fear of clowns is known as Coulrophobia and while the origin of the fear may be based in a childhood experience there may also be a very strong link to Hollywood films depicting clowns behaving badly.

Clowns may be considered suspicious because in a way similar to Halloween their presence speaks of a hiding. Many are left to wonder what lurks under the face paint and painted on smile.

It is normal for some to feel a bit uneasy around clowns, but there are four films that may have contributed to the subtle shift from unease to fear.

IT

In this made for TV horror story, Stephen King presents a demonic creature who kills children dressed as a clown. While we present video clips below of all the films we are discussing they are for research purposes and are not intended for those who live with a fear of clowns.

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Fears always tend to grow when they are allowed time to ‘entertain’ our minds. You can view a film and leave laughing at what you consider a silly premise, but the more time you entertain that ‘silly premise’ the more possible it becomes to you. This is where fears begin to set up shop in your life.

The Clowns

While not an English language film, The Clowns (I Clowns) was released in 1971 as a quasi-documentary about one man’s obsession with clowns. It’s interesting to note that one man’s obsession can be another man’s fear – and they are often introduced the same way.

Killer Klowns From Outer Space

This may be one of the more intense horror picture related to clowns. It was released in 1988 and featured aliens who have their way with a town simply because the citizens believe they are only clowns. They seem in every way a typical circus clown, but residents are being killed and it is the children of the town that discover the source of the murders.

This movie was very low budget, but it is effective in demonstrating a fear of clowns. What may be more interesting is that it was intended to be a comedy. Still, in the midst of the humor the images of killer clowns (klowns) still resonates with those who saw the movie.

Fear of Clowns

One independent film company has produced a movie that is even more direct in their approach to the dark fears associated with clowns. The film, “Fear of Clowns” considers what it would be like if what we fear most does work to cause us harm.

Why The Videos?

The reason we include videos related to the fear is not to instill a fear, but to allow those seeking a better understanding of what others may be facing with a clown fear (Coulrophobia) to see firsthand what can contribute to the phobia’s development. In that understanding perhaps they can become more empathetic to the fear in others.

We do not post the videos to sensationalize or needlessly cause a fearful reaction. This is why I will always place a notice if the videos should not be viewed by those who have fears.