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Be Afraid… Be Very Afraid: Check out Five of the Creepiest Clown Movies Ever Made

From Pennywise in Stephen King's 'It' to that creepy doll in 'Poltergeist,' we check out the scariest clowns ever to hit the screen.

Creepy clowns are just popping up everywhere these days. The eerie phenomenon playing out across the country appears to be feeding the deep-rooted fear many have about those costumed performers. Some find just them a bit... unsettling.

Even schools are taking notice. With Halloween around the corner the New Haven Public School district went as far as prohibiting clown costumes and any other "symbols of terror" during this year's Halloween season because of the fear a creepy clown craze sweeping social media is instilling. 

Symbols of terror?

Ok, if you can't dress as a creepy clown, what about settling for grabbing some popcorn and watching a creepy clown movie? If you're one of those people who's a bit spooked, don't let this hair-raising trend put a damper on your Halloween festivities.

Here's a list of five of of the creepiest clown movies of all time:

"Stephen King's It"

Only Stephen King could have dreamed up a character as terrifying as Pennywise. Scream Magazine says Pennywise the clown from "It," is hands down their creepiest clown of all time. "He used your deepest, darkest fears against you!" the magazine said. It turns into a clown, using children's fears to kill them in the 1960's.

Truth be told, Pennywise reads much scarier on the page in the hands of King then he comes across in the straight to television low-budget mini-series that starred Tim Curry. But, there were still several scares to be had as Fangoria Editor-in-Chief of Fangoria declares Pennywise "easily the scariest clown ever put to screen."

Despite being credited with creating one of the scariest clowns of all time, even King thinks the scary clown craze is getting out of hand.

"Clown"

Scream Magazine notes this movie as its runner up for creepiest clown movie of all time. From Eli Roth, the same director who made you fear staying in 'Hostels; this 2014 thriller tells the tale of a father trying to save his son's birthday party after the clown hired by the family cancels. But once the suit is on, it won't come off. This dad quickly goes from savior to psycho killer.

"Carnival of Souls"

This 1998 film is creepy as much as it's sadistic. As a young girl, Alex Grant watched her mother get raped and murdered by a circus clown. Years later, she's faced with a terrifying predicament when the same clown is released from prison and is out to get her.


"The Last Circus"


Hanley called this clown classic another twisted favorite. In the film, which he describes as "creepy" with a dark sense of humor, a love triangle between a trapeze artist, Natalia, and two clowns turns ugly. The "Sad Clown" (Javier) and "Happy Clown" (Sergio) have their fair share of deep seated issues which only turns worse as Natalia, finds herself torn between the two.


"Poltergeist"

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From the demented mind of... Steven Spielberg? Granted, as given away by the title of this 1982 horror classic, the film is really about those demonic ghosts that have snatched Carol Anne away through that bedroom closet door into another dimension. But, one of the many showstoppers in the film is that creepy clown doll that wants to get it's mitts around big brother Robbie. A carnival doll has never looked so terrifying and hasn't since, even in the CGI-amped 2015 remake.

Honorable Mention:
"American Horror Story: Freak Show":

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Ok, 'Twisty' the demonic circus clown never appeared on the big screen. But he was too terrifying to leave out. Viewers of AHS only got four episodes into the season before the character was shockingly killed off, but what a four episodes those were.

After being falsely accused of molesting children the despondent clown blew off his lower jaw with a shotgun in an attempted suicide. He then covered his facial disfigurement with a wide-grinned prosthetic mask before embarking on a bloody mission of revenge.
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