The simple sight of a clown is scary to many people. Originally created with the innocent intent of entertaining children, the image of clowns has been twisted into that of perverted icons, says Adam Lueke, a psychological science instructor at Ball State University.
“First of all, they are not supposed to be scary. Their purpose is actually quite innocent,” says Lueke. “But fear of clowns has become so common, it even has a name: coulrophobia.
“We know to be scared of snakes and spiders and heights because danger is built right into them, and that danger is predictable,” he says. “When the innocent becomes dangerous, that essentially turns the world upside down, giving the sense that nothing in this world is safe because it is unpredictable.”
Popular culture has profited from people’s fear of clowns. The remake of Stephen King’s “It” recently was a major hit at the box office. The film’s star is an evil clown named Pennywise who terrorizes children. A red balloon is his calling card, which Pennywise uses to attract his young victims.
In 2016, America was seemingly overrun by reports of “scary clowns” — pranksters who were spotted spooking people from coast to coast. Now, thanks to Pennywise, these same pranksters may be preparing to haunt America’s streets this Halloween season, Lueke cautions.
“Every year people are out to scare others,” he says. “Clowns are one way to accomplish that.”
Prof. Lueke may be reached at aklueke@bsu.edu.
Ball State University provided this story.