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A generic "Evil Clown"

The image of the evil clown is a development in popular culture, in which the playful trope of the clown is rendered as disturbing through the use of horror elements and dark humor.

Origins[link]

The modern archetype of the evil clown has unclear origins, but one of the first appearances of the concept is that of John Wayne Gacy, an American serial killer and rapist who became known as the Killer Clown after it was discovered that he performed as Pogo the Clown at children's parties and other events.^[1] The public nature of his trial made the imprint of his character on American culture noteworthy, including his association with his clown persona.

The evil clown archetype plays strongly off the sense of dislike caused by inherent elements of coulrophobia. A study by the University of Sheffield concluded "that clowns are universally disliked by children. Some found them quite frightening and unknowable."^[2][3] This may be because of the nature of clowns' makeup hiding their faces, making them potential threats in disguise; as a psychology professor at California State University, Northridge stated, young children are "very reactive to a familiar body type with an unfamiliar face".^[4] This natural disliking of clowns makes them effective to use in a literary or fictional context, as the antagonistic threat perceived in clowns is desirable in a villainous character.

[edit] Interpretations

The concept of the evil clown is related to the irrational fear of clowns, known as coulrophobia. The cultural critic Mark Dery has theorized the postmodern archetype of the evil clown in "Cotton Candy Autopsy: Deconstructing Psycho-Killer Clowns" (a chapter in his cultural critique The Pyrotechnic Insanitarium: American Culture on the Brink).^[5]

Tracking the image of the demented or deviant clown across popular culture, Dery analyzes the "Pogo the Clown" persona of the serial killer John Wayne Gacy; the obscene clowns of the neo-situationist Cacophony Society; the Joker (of "Batman" Fame); the grotesque art of R.K. Sloane; the sick-funny Bobcat Goldthwaite comedy Shakes the Clown; and Stephen King's It.

Using Mikhail Bakhtin's theory of the carnivalesque, Jungian and historical writings on the images of the fool in myth and history, and ruminations on the mingling of ecstasy and dread in the Information Age, Dery asserts the evil clown is an icon of our times. Clowns are often depicted as murderous psychopaths at many American haunted houses.

Wolfgang M. Zucker points out the similarities between a clown's appearance and the cultural depictions of demons and other infernal creatures, noting "[the clown's] chalk-white face in which the eyes almost disappear, while the mouth is enlarged to a ghoulish bigness looks like the mask of death.".^[6]

Notable Depictions of Evil Clowns[link]

• Pennywise the Dancing Clown, a common form taken by the mysterious monster in Stephen King's novel It and its film adaptation..^[7]
• The Joker, a notable enemy in the Batman franchise whose key features are a clown-like disguise, clown-like disfigured face, and permanent smile.^[8]
• Shakes the Clown, a depressed, alcoholic clown framed for murder and coming into conflict with other clowns, in the eponymous film by Bobcat Goldthwait.
• Violator, a demon from hell who takes the appearance of a balding, middle-aged clown, and an enemy of Spawn in the comic franchise by Todd McFarlane.
• Doink the Clown, a professional wrestling character portrayed by a number of wrestlers. He is frequently depicted as malevolent, playing malicious pranks and cheating in unusual ways to win.
• Kefka Palazzo, the main antagonist of Final Fantasy VI, a nihilistic psychopath with the outfit and mannerisms of an insane jester,
• Sweet Tooth, a sociopathic serial killer who is a primary protagonist/antagonist in the Twisted Metal franchise.
• Killer Klowns from Outer Space, the 1988 Midnight Horror Comedy about carnivorous aliens, in disguise as clowns from outer space.
• The Ghost Clown, a faux evil supernatural circus clown in an early episode of the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! television show episode Bedlam in the Bigtop circa 1970. He actually is a human criminal working in the circus. He has power over hypnotizing people and Scooby. Most notably he puts in a trance Daphne Blake and has her risk her life on a unicycle.

See also[link]

• Insane Clown Posse
• John Wayne Gacy

References[link]