K.T Simpson
If there’s one thing I think we can all agree on, it’s that clowns are terrifying. Whoever had the idea to have clowns at a kid’s birthday party is either some kind of maniac or a crazy genius. Or both.
Regardless, it’s less than a month until the highly anticipated “It” terrifies you , and if you’re like me you’re watching every little bit of Pennywise the dancing clown goodness that hits the web (legal or otherwise). Short of re-watching the 1990 miniseries of “It” (which I made my better half do last week, sorry babe) I’ve compiled a lots of 10 other movies featuring terrifying clowns you can watch, to get you into that Pennywise mood. Not necessarily the “best” or the “scariest”, but definitely ones I think you should check out none the less.
Amusement (2008)
“Amusement” is an anthology film that sees three girls get stalked and terrorised by a maniac who holds a grude – which I won’t reveal ’cause that just spoils it doesn’t it! As with any good killer clown movie, the clown has a name – “The Laugh”. Pretty meh, but regardless, he looks good and will likely make you fear the jovial red-nosed entertainer that shows up to your next kid’s party.
Clown (2004)
The aptly titled “Clown” begins like all clown-horrors should. Within the context of a kid’s birthday party. Ooooh I’m excited already! So in a nutshell, dad hires clown for kid’s birthday, clown goes to the wrong party so it’s up to dad to save the day. Instead of thinking “BULLET F’KIN DODGED”, dad retrieves an old clown suit from the basement of the house he’s selling, and puts it on to entertain the masses. I swear to God, this is bloody amateur hour. Anyway, clown suit is cursed, old mate can’t take it off and he slowly becomes cursed. Bloody great clown film this one.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
A clown movie that’s both disturbing AND comical? Sign me up! “Killer Klowns from Outer Space” says it all in the title really, and sees a bunch of aliens who resemble circus clowns descend upon Earth to capture, kill and harvest human insides to feed upon. This one is kind of a cult classic, and a sequel has been in the works for some time now, but I think I speak for all horror-sci-fi-comedy fans when I say – hurry up!!
100 Tears (2007)
If it’s more gore you’re after, then this is the one for you. After getting wrongfully accused for rape, the circus clown Gurdy goes on a murderous rampage. After taking upon his revenge, he realises he kinda likes killing, and thus he becomes the clown we all fear.
Clownhouse (1989)
“Clownhouse” is another film with a recipe that just can’t go wrong. It starts with a young boy with an intense fear of clowns (coulrophobia), whose family decide that’s just inconvenient so they drag him and his brothers to the local carnival regardless. Whilst enjoying the terror, er joy, of the carnival, a bunch of patients from the local mental asylum are also enjoying the “therapy” that the carnival provides. 3 of the patients break loose and kill some carnie clowns, and don their makeup and costumes to wreak havoc on the local community – and more specifically the clown-phobic boy’s house.
Scary or Die (2012)
This is another anthology film, that has probably one of the most disturbing looking clowns out there. The clown in this one (in the section called “Clowned”) is called Fucko, which is just gold in itself, and he’s a flesh eaten clown that starts the blood bath at a birthday party. The bitten guy then develops a taste for human flesh.
Stitches (2012)
Per the title, the name of the clown here is Stitches, and he gets killed at a kid’s birthday party at the beginning of the film – how the tables have turned. Don’t worry though, he got laid first before he died, so it’s not all bad news. Six years later, Stitches returns from the grave to terrorise the kids that terrorised him all those years ago.
Out of the Dark (1989)
To be fair, I included this one for pure comic value. “Out of the Dark” is about a phone sex hotline business, voiced by failed models. A psychotic clown killer named Bobo comes and terrorises the employees. The big question is, though, who is Bobo?!
Killjoy (2000)
The beauty of “Killjoy” is that if you can’t get enough clown, there’s a whole bunch of sequels! To be fair, this one is all over the place, but it’s a whole lot of slasher clown for those that are after that. Basically, a doll named Killjoy is brought to life with the help of some black magic and then a whole lot of scary shit happens.
Fear of Clowns (2004)
This clown’s makeup is a little bit so-so, but his name is Shivers so there’s some points for originality there. The movie is based on an artist who has a fear of clowns, and gets stalked by Shivers. There’s a whole lot more clowns in this flick as well, and Shivers is one of those psychotic dudes who as schizophrenia and basically just creates a massive bloodbath.
