Coulrophobia : Clown Horror Movies: Episode 201

If you hear squeaky shoes, run away! The very popular trope of coulrophobia, the fear of clowns, taps into childhood fears and manages to go to almost unthinkable extremes. With the rise of Art and Pennywise, the horrorverse knows there is a vein that taps into real, deep-seated fears. Join Heather, Mike, and Eric in our breakdown of some clown-themed films for your consumption.

Were you afraid of circus clowns as a kid? If so, you weren’t alone. The white face paint. Exaggerated features. The ridiculous costumes. This goes beyond the uncanny valley into the bizarre. Normal people don’t dress up like this, and you may question the psychology of anybody who dons the getup.

Not helping the situation is that individuals like John Wayne Gacy, who dressed up as a party clown, reinforce the reputation of clowns as unstable. Fear of clowns may be a learned fear, for most, however. Birthday clowns still exist, and little kids still love the comedic silliness of a good circus clown. But, with the disappearance of the traditional circus as a form of entertainment, clowns may have been permanently relegated to horror movies. Sorry, Bozo.

Check out some of our recommendations for deeper cut clown horror… you may be surprised at how many options there are for those of you who love to be scared by clowns.