Among the many ghosts and ghouls in the horror genre, one of the most terrifying tropes has to be the killer clown. These scary figures are likely popular for the same reason that mascot horror has taken off as a subgenre; they subvert the more innocent, child-friendly version of the characters by turning them into something far more sinister. Creepy clowns work their way into everything from mainstream movies to horror video games and more. These clowns take on various designs and execute their horror in a variety of ways.
This year had its most recent entry into scary clown movie history with Clown in a Cornfield. Billed as both a dark comedy and a slasher horror film, the movie focuses on a Midwestern town in which a clown named Frendo reemerges and goes on a terrifying killing spree. The movie is directed by Eli Craig, who co-adapted its script with Carter Blanchard, based on the novel by Adam Cesare. The movie features Katie Douglas, Aaron Abrams, Carson McCormac, and Vincent Muller. Clown in a Cornfield‘s Frendo is terrifying and is part of a long line of bone-chilling clowns.
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Art the Clown
The Star Of The Terrifier Movies
Art the Clown is best known for his key role in the Terrifier movie trilogy, but his first appearance actually goes further back. The character first appeared in Damien Leone’s horror short film The 9th Circle in 2008. Now, Art has been scaring audiences for over 15 years, most recently appearing in Terrifier 3 last year. He has already been played by two different actors, originating as Mike Giannelli in the shorts and then later being played by David Howard Thornton in the live-action feature films.
Part of what makes Art the Clown particularly frightful is the intensity of his kills. The Terrifier movies take their role as splatter horror films seriously, and there is a lot of blood. As the film’s serial killing antagonist, Art goes on these rampages, sparing no one as he uses a smattering of weapons, including hacksaws, knives, and chainsaws, to carry out his work. This bloodlust is combined with Art the Clown’s ghoulish black-and-white outfit and makeup to make him one of cinema’s most terrifying killer clowns.
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Pennywise
From Stephen King’s It
In addition to being oh-so-scary, Pennywise is now one of the most widely known killer clowns. This is due in large part to his status as a long-established villain, first appearing in legendary author Stephen King’s acclaimed novel It in 1986. He has been adapted for the screen by two different actors, Tim Curry and Bill Skarsgård. Both actors provide varying interpretations of the character, with the latter arguably being the more consistently scary version.
He lures unsuspecting and innocent youths in with delights such as balloons or a seemingly inviting smile.
Pennywise is particularly scary when considering the role of a clown as appealing to children. He is not just a killer clown, but a master manipulator. He lures unsuspecting and innocent youths in with delights such as balloons or a seemingly inviting smile. Targeting children for murder is a particularly malevolent act, making the sewer-lurking clown particularly and despicably terrifying.
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Clöyne / Kent
From Clown (2014)
Clöyne is one of the more complicated entries into the killer clown universe because it is not a single character like Pennywise, but a demon embodied in a costume. He comes from the one-off 2014 horror film Clown, which centers around a father and family man named Kent (Andy Powers), who discovers what he thinks is an old clown costume and wears it for his son’s birthday party. Things don’t go as planned for Kent, however, when he finds that the costume is fused to his body.
Upon further investigation, Kent realizes that the vessel is not a costume but actually features the hair and skin of an Icelandic demon named Clöyne. What makes this demon so terrifying is how quickly and completely it consumes Kent. His fingers and toes begin to grow, and his wife ends up injuring him while trying to help him remove the costume. Clown is heartbreakingly horrific in its portrayal of a child’s plaything gone wrong, and provides a more psychological take on the killer clown narrative.
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Klownzilla And The Other Killer Klowns
From The 1988 Cult Classic Killer Klowns From Outer Space
The name Killer Klowns from Outer Space is straightforward in its promises. There will be killer clowns, and they will have intergalactic origins. The 1988 B-horror movie is about aliens who come down to Earth to terrorize a small town. These aliens are not the typical extraterrestrials as, instead of green bodies or other trope forms, they look like clowns. Part of why they are so scary is because they represent an unknown threat. Coming from space, they descend on the human-occupied planet to harvest and kill them.
Though they may seem more visually outdated now, there is something still unnerving about the Killer Klowns’ smiling makeup and deformed-looking faces. The lore surrounding them makes them even more unnerving, which includes the portrayal of baby clowns that grew from popcorn buckets in a dumpster. While Klownzilla and his followers exercise some creative and disturbing kills, their scariest factor is their physical appearance. They are grotesque and unsettling, making the Killer Klowns among the scariest in killer clown movie history.
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Captain Spaulding
From The Rob Zombie Universe
The killer clown horror subgenre would not truly be complete without director Rob Zombie. Though his name may reference another iconic horror movie monster, Zombie also has a knack for portraying murderous clowns on screen. The most notable of these characters is Captain Spaulding, aka Johnny Lee Jones, who is an orphan turned criminal turned killer clown. The character first appeared in Zombie’s 2003 movie House of 1000 Corpses and was played by Sid Haig. Haig reprised his role in The Devil’s Rejects and came back for one scene in 3 from Hell.
Captain Spaulding was not part of this clown gang, but his appearances in his pseudo-trilogy make him memorable.
It is worth noting that Zombie also made another terrifying killer clown movie, 31, which focused on a group of carnival workers who are held captive by sadistic clowns. Captain Spaulding was not part of this clown gang, but his appearances in his pseudo-trilogy make him memorable. The character is constantly walking the line of terror and humor. This is appropriate coming from a clown, a figure which has its roots in humor, but the sharp wit that Haig brings to the character is virtually unparalleled in the rest of the clown-verse.
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Frendo
From This Year’s Clown In A Cornfield
The killer clown universe’s newest figure is also one of the scariest. Clown in a Cornfield may have a silly lilt to it overall, but the actual clown works his way into the story in eerie ways. For example, one of the main plot points involves a group of teenagers making parody videos where they pretend to have one of them killed by Frendo. This cleverly dispels the idea that the masked clown really is as dangerous as he is and makes his killing spree all the more shocking to audiences.
Another reason why Frendo is so effectively scary is the setting. His white-faced mask and red nose stand out against the cornfield environment, which also allows him to lurk within the depths of this small town. This Midwest area has gone through a lot of trauma already after their local Baypen Corn Syrup Factory burned down, and the fear and tension surrounding this is only further heightened by Frendo. He is also one of the few masked clowns, giving him an additional chilling layer of anonymity in Clown in a Cornfield.
