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Why Clowns Are So Terrifying
Psychology explains why — for so many of us — these stars of kiddie birthday parties and peddlers of good, clean fun are truly no laughing matter
Trigger Warning: This article contains references to painted white faces, red foam noses, and receding hairlines with tufts of wild hair. Please engage in self-care while reading.
Not so long ago, across at least 10 different states, creepy clowns terrorized America. In Florida, fiendish clowns were spotted lurking by the side of the road. In South Carolina, clowns reportedly tried to lure women and children into the woods.
Robbers wearing scary clown masks and carrying guns spent a recent Sunday morning scaring the pants off people on Houston’s west side.
And prior to last Halloween, a creep in California was arrested after sexually assaulting one woman and robbing another while wearing a clown mask.
Some of these incidents were criminal attacks. Others likely involved pranksters simply clowning around. None of them were fun and games.
Whatever the perpetrators’ motives, cases like these — which are popping up like Jack-in-the-Boxes all over the globe — seem to tap into a common, primal dread.
