Why are clowns so scary?

[ChippySauce]

I was looking for an article when I scrolled past a post with a clown image (so didn't even read it) and I physically recoiled!
I have no known past incidents in connection so just what is it about clowns that is so terrifying?

They create mayhem, have makeup that conceals their features, and have a long association with horror films?

Their faces are essentially hidden. There’s a reason bad guys are always depicted wearing masks or hoods. Humans like to be able to read the face of another person.

Clowns originate from characters in folklore and theatre such as Harlequin, Punch and 'the fool' whose roles were often quite dark - think of 'The Wicker Man' and the fool who was 'king for a day' - a sacrificial victim.

IT

The murderer clown. That's probably what people think of!

Your childhood was ruined by watching IT too early……or was that just me?

Younger DD was scared of clowns as a toddler, also anyone wearing anything like a mask. I have a photo of her screaming in terror on being taken to see Santa, we had to rush her away quickly!

I can't watch horror as I'm such a wimp so not due to watching IT 😄

@CantHoldMeDown thank you, I'll read that later.

It's so weird as I don't go about my day to day making sure I avoid them (so not a real phobia as such?), but I was surprised at my own reaction coming across it unexpectedly.

@TeaandStrumpets interesting! I really don't like masks of any sort either.

Does your DD still have this fear?

I know this is a thing, but I’ve never found them scary.

Ugh. Yeah. Clowns are horrendous. My parents couldn't take me to the circus, even when I was very young.

One of my DD's is very sensitive to beings without facial emotions too. Started when she was tiny. So no clowns, no dolls, no robots, no masks. As a teen historian we had to get her therapy to enable interaction with dead bodies!! It's really very interesting.

I don’t think it’s all clowns - I once saw a brilliant clown performance and it was an older (but still very strong and fit) man with no make up, just a suit and hat, doing slapstick tricks with a chair, ladder etc. very funny, impressive but also quite friendly and heartwarming IYSWIM.

The typically scary clown has the full make up. It’s something to do with the big smile for me - a big fake smile makes you think of something hidden behind it that’s possibly harmful or sinister.

I also hate hate hate the “sad clown” trope. So cheesy and obvious and irritating, drives me mad.

Hi@ChippySauce thankfully not, but it was upsetting for her until 2 ish so I suppose we could explain it to her after that age. I remember once there were some masked performers on the high street and she freaked out as I pushed her past.

It could be a variant on the uncanny valley theme which, to be brief, is why some people have a phobia of mannequins and ventriloquist dolls.

Yes, I agree that the 'masked' element, with makeup and clothes, adds to the sinister atmosphere. I feel the same about pantomime dames!
I wonder if it's about the fact that both are unpredictable, in that they might make you laugh, or make you the bitt of the joke, so there's an element of 'social risk' about them?
I also feel a bit the same about aggressively friendly/cheerful people, e.g. gameshow hosts.

In France it's a very common thing for amateur clowning associations - just some grown men and women in home made costumes - to visit children and sometimes adults and elderly people in hospital and interact with them in manic, high energy skits.

I know there's some cultural differences at play here but oh dear, please just no. I could attach some video but it's just too upsetting.

A nice little PAT dog to see would cheer me up but not a pair of fifty odd year olds in big trousers, white face make up and honk honk red noses pretending to be a choo choo train, falling over, making fart noises and screaming. That would just about finish me off.

I remember reading donkeys years ago that a group of “professional” clowns had tried to sue Stephen King for loss of earnings, as they thought it was Pennywise that had terrified and put off all future generations of clowns!
I always found Ronald MacDonald scary as a child 😆

I have a clown phobia, even the word brings me out in goosebumps, also ventriloquist dummies. I think it's related to the lack of facial expressions, I'm autistic so struggle to recognise subtle changes in body language and wonder if that is linked in some way. Strangely, I'm not bothered by Pennywise in IT, maybe because he's so outwardly evil and it isn't hidden IYSWIM

The horror movie 'It' definately instilled my fear of clowns as a child.

Oh god yes, Ronald Mcdonald was shit scary, and he turned up at kids parties 😱 bloody terrifying!

My dad took me to the circus when I was four, I’m 57 now.
One of the clowns came to me in the audience and wanted me to go with, I was terrified, burst into tears and refused to let go of my dad.
The entire clown look is revolting, makeup, hair, clothes and shoes, awful.

My Wilf is terrified of Pennywise... There is a man near him who dresses up as Pennywise and goes out at Halloween. I can only imagine how panicked Wilf would be if he came round the corner and bumped into him... 😔 😔

They are manic and have painted on smiles. And as pps said Pennywise didn’t help.

They are not scary.

They have smiles painted on when their emotions and eyes don’t match their smile/painted on expression. It produces feelings of cognitive dissonance in me and it makes me feel uneasy.