Evil clown
Pop culture trope and horror staple / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For the landmark outdoor sign in New Jersey, see Evil Clown of Middletown.
"Killer clown" redirects here. For the serial killer known by that nickname, see John Wayne Gacy. For the wrestler, see Los Psycho Circus. For the 1988 monster film, see Killer Klowns from Outer Space.
"Fear of clowns" redirects here. For the 2004 horror film, see Fear of Clowns.
The evil clown, or creepy clown, also known as the killer clown if their character revolves around murder, is a subversion of the traditional comic clown character, in which the playful trope is instead depicted in a more disturbing nature through the use of horror elements and dark humor. The modern archetype of the evil clown was popularized by the DC Comics supervillain Joker starting in 1940, and again by Pennywise in Stephen King's It. The character can be seen as playing on the sense of unease felt by sufferers of coulrophobia, the fear of clowns.