WHEN CLOWNS STOP BEING FUNNY: A Dark History of Creepy Clown Encounters
From Birthday Parties to Nightmares—The Evolution of America’s Most Unsettling Phenomenon
For decades, reports of menacing clowns have surfaced across America, from painted faces lurking in storm drains to knife-wielding jesters chasing children through neighborhoods. These aren’t isolated incidents but part of a disturbing pattern that spans generations and continents.
The following article is based on and expanded from the Weird Darkness episode, “The Disturbing Truth About Killer Clowns” (player below).
The painted smile, the oversized shoes, the bright red nose—these features were meant to bring joy to children’s parties and circus audiences. But somewhere along the way, the clown transformed from entertainer to nightmare fuel, becoming one of society’s most enduring sources of unease.
The Science Behind the Fear
Frank T. McAndrew, a psychology professor at Knox College, conducted the first empirical study on what makes something creepy. His research surveyed 1,341 volunteers ranging from 18 to 77 years old, and the results pointed to one clear winner in the creepiness category: clowns.
McAndrew’s study revealed that unpredictability plays a major role in triggering our creep detectors. The ambiguity of threat—not knowing whether someone means harm or not—leaves people frozen in discomfort. With clowns, the painted face masks genuine expressions, making it impossible to read their true intentions. The exaggerated features and bizarre behavior patterns only amplify this uncertainty.
In a 2008 study conducted in England, researchers discovered that very few children actually enjoyed clowns. The study even suggested that decorating children’s hospital wards with clown imagery might create the opposite of a comforting environment. A 2016 Vox poll found that 42 percent of Americans reported being at least somewhat afraid of clowns, with the percentage jumping to 62 percent among people ages 18 to 29.
Psychologist Rami Nader from the North Shore Stress and Anxiety Clinic in British Columbia explained that the mask element intensifies fear because observers can’t see who’s really behind the makeup. The inability to read facial expressions or gauge intentions creates a perfect storm of anxiety.
A Timeline of Terror
The creepy clown phenomenon didn’t start with social media or horror movies. Reports of sinister clowns date back decades, creating a disturbing pattern across American history.
The 1981 Wave
In May 1981, children at Lawrence Elementary in Brookline, Massachusetts, reported two clowns in a black van offering them candy. School principals received warnings about the threat, sparking similar sightings across Boston. Days later, Kansas City police received reports of a knife-wielding clown in a yellow van. Parents at Our Lady & St. Rose school received letters warning about a character called Killer Clown jumping from bushes and threatening children with knives.
By June, Pittsburgh saw its own wave of menacing clown reports. Police there drew connections between the sightings—which occurred primarily in Black neighborhoods in Pittsburgh and Kansas City—and the Atlanta Child Murders from the previous summer. The Boston-area clowns, however, appeared mostly in white neighborhoods.
The Pattern Continues
March 1988 brought reports across a three-county area in Louisville, Kentucky. Children called police with stories of a malevolent clown offering rides in a red pickup truck. In one case, a clown allegedly pursued a child on foot. No arrests were made, and the pickup-driving clown vanished without a trace.
October 1991 saw simultaneous outbreaks in Erie, Pennsylvania, and Chicago. In Erie, more than 40 children and some parents reported a clown prowling backyards and peering through windows. A local bank robbery by someone in a clown suit led to one arrest, but police dismissed him as a copycat—the original clown remained at large.
Chicago’s incident involved reports of a man dressed as Homey D. Clown from In Living Color, offering candy to children to ride in his van. Kids described the van as blue, white, or red but agreed it had “Ha-ha” painted on the side. An eighth-grader claimed to have punched the clown in the nose. Schools sent letters home to parents and increased patrols. Similar reports surfaced in Evanston and Joliet. Despite the widespread panic, no clowns were apprehended.
The 1990s continued the trend. September 1992 in Rock Hill, South Carolina, ended with four teenage boys arrested for dressing as clowns and terrorizing children. Authorities couldn’t find a law they’d broken and released them without charges. One resident posted a hand-painted sign reading “Mr. Clown, We Are All Watching You.”
October 1992 brought reports to Galveston, Texas, after a small girl claimed a clown attempted to kidnap her. Sightings concentrated near schools, but police investigations yielded zero arrests.
Modern Manifestations
The pattern persisted into recent decades. In June 1994, Washington D.C.’s Seventh District received multiple reports of a clown trying to lure children into a van. Police declined to investigate, leading local activists to cite it as an example of authorities ignoring crimes reported by Black citizens.
August 1997 saw six clown incidents in South Brunswick and Howell, New Jersey. Children reported a clown leaping from behind trees and laughing maniacally. A man who police said didn’t have “an adult’s mental capacity” was identified as the clown and sent for psychiatric evaluation. He offered no explanation for his actions.
October 2008 brought Chicago its second major clown scare, exactly 17 years after the Homey D. Clown incidents. Police issued alerts about a clown driving a white or brown van, though mainstream newspapers ignored the story.
In October 2014, a Fishers, Indiana resident managed to photograph a creepy clown appearing around town. This clown carried balloons instead of driving a van, marking a slight variation in the pattern.
The 2016 Epidemic
The year 2016 became the apex of creepy clown sightings. It began in August in South Carolina, when children told police that clowns had offered them money to accompany them into the forest. Throughout September, sightings spread across multiple states, leading to arrests, official warnings, and widespread media coverage.
The phenomenon turned violent on October 8, 2016, in Adelaide, Australia. Two 12-year-old girls buying ice cream with a parent were attacked by a creepy clown who tried to steal one girl’s phone. Similar violent incidents occurred worldwide. In Germany, a 16-year-old wearing a clown mask was stabbed by a 14-year-old in Berlin, requiring surgery.
A date began circulating for the great Clown Purge—Halloween night, when they would all attack at once. Halloween came and went without incident, and the sightings gradually decreased. Society collectively decided to move on, rarely mentioning the months of global clown panic that had gripped communities.
When Fiction Becomes Reality
While most clown sightings resulted in fear but no physical harm, some cases crossed into genuine violence and tragedy.
The Wellington Murder
On May 26, 1990, at 10:45 a.m. in Wellington, Florida, Marlene Warren answered her door to find a bulb-nosed clown holding red and white flowers and two balloons, one featuring Snow White. The clown shot her point-blank in the face. She died two days later. Warren’s teenage son witnessed the clown flee to a white Chrysler LeBaron.
Palm Beach County sheriff’s spokesman Bob Ferrell told reporters it was the strangest thing he’d seen in 19 years of law enforcement. Suspicion fell on Warren’s husband Michael, who had a suspected affair with a female employee and stood to gain from a five-figure life insurance policy. Evidence suggested the flowers and balloons were purchased near the employee’s apartment, and costume shop workers tentatively identified her as having purchased a clown costume the day of the killing. Neither was charged, and the case remains unsolved.
International Incidents
October 18, 2013, saw Francisco Rafael Arellano Félix celebrating his 64th birthday in Los Cabos, Mexico. During his party, someone in a clown outfit approached and shot him in the head and chest. The clown fled in an SUV. As a drug lord with numerous enemies, identifying suspects proved impossible. Many were suspected, but no convictions followed.
France experienced its own wave of clown horror in October 2014. Police in Agde arrested 14 armed teenagers disguised as clowns who were chasing locals while laughing maniacally. They carried pistols, knives, and baseball bats. In Montpellier, a clown was arrested after beating a 35-year-old pedestrian with an iron bar. A student in Besançon sliced his hand defending himself from an ax-wielding clown. Four fake clowns in Liévin terrified school students with a chainsaw.
The situation became so severe that a town in southern France banned clown costumes in November 2014. French police blamed social media and viral videos for inspiring copycat incidents. A 19-year-old arrested in Béthune explained to a judge that it started as a joke to scare friends, inspired by Facebook posts. He claimed he never intended to hurt anyone.
Criminal Clowns
The intersection of clowns and crime extends beyond random attacks. In October 2007, A. Paul Carlock Jr., who had performed as “Klutzo the Clown” for over a decade, was arrested for possessing child pornography and traveling to engage in sexual conduct with a minor. Carlock, a former cop and minister who performed as a “Christian clown,” had traveled to the House of Joy orphanage in the Philippines.
Customs officers at San Francisco Airport discovered images of naked boys on his digital camera. Three boys at House of Joy told investigators they woke to find Carlock fondling them. A search of his Springfield, Illinois home uncovered at least 21 child porn videos. Carlock’s entire employment history had revolved around children—from working at a boys’ school to volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters. He died in prison awaiting trial in November 2007.
Jose Guadalupe Jimenez, a professional clown, received a 10-year prison sentence after DNA evidence tied him to the 2002 rape of a 12-year-old girl. Dressed as his character “El Tin Marin,” Jimenez approached the girl at a Taco Bell, dragged her to his car, and assaulted her.
The Killer Clown
The most infamous case linking clowns to murder involves John Wayne Gacy, whose double life as beloved children’s entertainer and serial killer forever changed how society views clowns.
Gacy performed at parties and hospitals as “Pogo the Clown,” a character he created while in prison for a previous sexual assault conviction. Behind the painted smile and red nose, Gacy murdered at least 33 young men and boys between 1972 and 1978, burying most victims in the crawlspace beneath his suburban Chicago home.
His first victim was 16-year-old Timothy McCoy on January 2, 1972. McCoy had met Gacy at the Chicago bus terminal and accepted an offer to stay overnight. The next morning, McCoy went upstairs to wake Gacy while holding a knife he’d been using to prepare breakfast. Gacy, startled and thinking he was being attacked, stabbed McCoy to death. The killing reportedly gave Gacy what he described as a “mind-numbing orgasm” and “the ultimate thrill” he would crave for the rest of his life.
Gacy’s double life exemplified the terrifying duality that makes clowns so unsettling. By day, he was a respected businessman who employed local teenagers, contributed to the Junior Chamber of Commerce, and entertained at Democratic Party functions. Detective Sgt. Jason Moran of the Cook County sheriff’s office later noted that the public would have felt more comfortable if Gacy had been a creepy, unkempt ghoul. Instead, he dressed as a clown and bounced children on his knee while harboring unimaginable darkness.
Gacy lured victims with job offers, impersonated police officers, or simply offered a place to party. Once in his control, he would perform a “magic trick” involving handcuffs, then torture, rape, and murder his victims. He participated in search parties for some of the missing boys, as he was friendly with their parents and considered an upstanding community member.
His capture came after the disappearance of Robert Piest on December 11, 1978. The high school sophomore had told his mother he was going to speak with a contractor about a summer job. That contractor was John Wayne Gacy. Police searched Gacy’s home and found evidence linking him to Piest. On December 22, 1978, Gacy confessed to dozens of murders. Investigators uncovered 29 bodies in his crawlspace.
During his trial, Gacy attempted an insanity plea. His lawyer, Sam Amirante, described Gacy’s complete lack of empathy: he could cry about a child dying of cancer whom he’d never met, then discuss his murder victims without any emotion, as if “taking out the trash.”
Gacy spent 14 years on death row. The night before his execution, he ordered Kentucky Fried Chicken—a callback to his early days managing KFC franchises. His reported last words were “kiss my ass.”
The Ghost in the Greasepaint
Even death doesn’t always end clown terror. In Liverpool, the ghost of Fredrick “Zozzaby” Zozzabe, a Czechoslovakian clown who committed suicide in the early 1900s, reportedly haunts the room where he died. In December 2002, 13-year-old Thomas and his 10-year-old brother were sleeping in that same room when devilish laughter awakened them.
The boys described seeing a ghostly figure in the corner wearing a cone-shaped hat and maroon suit, complete with a large red painted nose and white makeup. The apparition had dark sockets for eyes like a skull and was surrounded by a green aura. It laughed hysterically with one hand on its belly, the other pointing at the terrified children. The room filled with the stench of embalming fluid, sending the boys running to their parents. The adults found nothing upon investigation but confirmed they could smell embalming fluid.
The Underground Terror
The document opens with a contemporary account that exemplifies how clown terror continues to manifest. A group of middle school students from Hamilton Middle School in Denver were exploring the storm drainage system beneath Tamarac Square—a popular activity given the lack of entertainment options for young people in the area.
The concrete tunnels snake beneath the shopping center, creating a maze filled with putrid standing water, dead rats, and dirty needles. Graffiti covers the walls, and the teens were photographing it when they noticed a dark red, almost black substance smeared across one section. Sensing something wrong, they began making their way out.
They heard a faint clinking sound, like metal meeting metal. As panic set in and they started running through the cramped quarters, one boy tripped and fell. From the ground, he witnessed something horrific—a man in a clown costume barreling down the tunnel toward them. The boy leaped to his feet and caught up with his friends, who had left him behind.
They stumbled out into the dry creek bed just as the clown man reached the tunnel entrance. He stood there glowering, with what appeared to be steak knives attached to his hands, clinking them together menacingly. The teens called their parents, who contacted police. Authorities said they’d investigate but didn’t take the claims seriously, even threatening trespassing charges.
Word spread quickly through the school about the killer clown in the tunnels under Tamarac Square. This triggered waves of kids venturing down to see for themselves. Several children claimed sightings—one boy saw the clown dragging its dagger-like fingers along the tunnel wall, another witnessed it crawling toward them. Reports even emerged of the clown trying to lure small children with magic tricks and sleight of hand.
The Cultural Impact
Stephen King tapped into this primal fear when writing IT. He wanted to create a book with all the monsters and realized that clowns represented the ultimate childhood terror. In a November 2013 talk, King explained his thought process: he wanted one binding, horrible creature that would make people scream just by seeing it. When he asked himself what scared children more than anything else, the answer was clear—clowns.
The historical figure of the clown traces back thousands of years. Jesters and similar characters served as vehicles for satire, poking fun at powerful people while providing a safety valve for social tensions. They enjoyed unique freedom of expression as long as their entertainment value outweighed any discomfort they caused.
The English word “clown” first appeared in the 1500s when Shakespeare used it to describe foolish characters. The familiar circus clown—with painted face, wig, and oversized clothing—emerged in the 19th century and has changed little since.
The trope of the evil clown isn’t new either. Writer Benjamin Radford traced this evolution in his book “Bad Clowns,” showing how clowns transformed from entertainers into unpredictable, menacing creatures. But it was John Wayne Gacy’s capture that forever cemented the connection between clowns and psychopathic behavior in the American consciousness.
The Psychology of Controlled Fear
Christopher Dwyer, Ph.D., explored why people enjoy being scared in controlled settings. When experiencing “safe” frights—like horror movies or haunted houses—our brains quickly evaluate the situation and recognize we’re free from actual risk. Our bodies calm, and many people enjoy the experience.
Dwyer identified several reasons people seek controlled fear: the rush of endorphins and dopamine, satisfaction from conquering fear, bonding with others who share the experience, and simple curiosity. These factors explain why scary clowns remain popular despite widespread fear of them. For some, it’s possible to fear clowns while simultaneously enjoying that fear in controlled doses.
Psychologist Nader explained that overcoming phobias requires gradual exposure to the feared object or situation. People learn to cope with anxiety and recognize that their fears won’t actually harm them. However, those with extreme clown phobia shouldn’t feel obligated to confront their fears unnecessarily.
The Ongoing Mystery
Despite decades of sightings, investigations, and cultural analysis, the creepy clown phenomenon remains largely unexplained. Most incidents involve no physical contact or harm, yet they generate intense fear and community disruption. The consistency of reports across different times and locations suggests something deeper than simple pranks or mass hysteria.
Whether rooted in psychological triggers, social dynamics, or something more mysterious, the fear of clowns has become embedded in our collective consciousness. Each new sighting adds another layer to this ongoing narrative, ensuring that the line between entertainment and terror remains forever blurred behind the painted smile.
SOURCES: https://weirddarkness.com/why-clowns-are-scary/
Sweet Kiss of Death: The Jockey Who Won A Horse Race After He Died | #MindOfMarlar
In 1923, Frank Hayes made history in the most unusual way—winning a horse race while secretly dead in the saddle, turning a dream victory into a story both tragic and legendary.
Listen to the audio version of this article!
It’s a story that could easily have found itself written into a television sitcom – had television existed at the time. But it would be equally appropriate for a story in a horror comic… yet those had not yet come into existence either.
At New York’s Belmont Park on June 4th, 1923, Frank Hayes secured his place in history as the only jockey to have ever won an official horse race posthumously. For those who graduated from public high school, posthumously means he did so while being dead. Apparently Hayes suffered a fatal heart attack during the race, but he stayed on top of the horse right through to the finish… of the race, that is. And, well… through to his own finish too.
Hayes, as a young stable boy, always aspired to be a horse racing jockey. His passion for horses drove him to grab an exciting and career-making opportunity when it came his way: to compete in a 2-mile, 12-jump race at Belmont Park. His chosen companion for this momentous race was Sweet Kiss, a 7-year-old mare that had previously not garnered much favor from her owners – or the bookies – boasting an ego-crushing 20-1 odds. Not only was the fix not in – it wasn’t considered even remotely close to the entrance.
But Frank Hayes was a dreamer and a go-getter with more energy than a caffeinated squirrel. Despite the odds stacked against them, he believed in his new partner, Sweet Kiss. Not that it mattered – it was really the only opportunity for him to jump into horse racing. Pardon the pun.
Despite his lifelong goal to be a horse jockey, Hayes had another hurdle to get over (again, sorry for the pun): he weighed 142 pounds – well above the acceptable limit for a jockey. So, Hayes scrambled — I’m guessing literally — to shed weight as quickly as he could (some reports say he only had just over one day’s notice) in order to get down to the 130 pound maximum allowed weight to be able to compete. That’s a goal of losing 10-12 pounds in only about 24 hours. Simply cutting out the carbs wasn’t going to suffice; cutting off an appendage would’ve been quicker, and probably easier. Frank embarked on a strenuous weight loss regimen including intense exercise, extreme dieting (probably starving himself), and, in the final few hours, an extreme push that saw him deny himself even liquids while doing whatever he could to sweat profusely in order to lose water weight – all without the help of Richard Simmons’ and his “Sweating To The Oldies” program. If you’ve ever seen the coming-of-age wrestling movie Vision Quest from 1985, you have an idea of what poor Frank probably went through… but instead of trying to impress Linda Fiorentino, Frank’s dream gal had four legs and ate oats for breakfast.
Somehow, incredibly, without amputating one of his limbs to make it happen, Hayes was able to shrink himself down to the weight limit in order to compete in the race. To everyone’s excitement and surprise, on June 4th, 1923 Sweet Kiss – with that despicable 20-1 odds – ran a brilliant race, crossing the finish line first – even beating the favored competitor, Gimme, by a horse head.
The crowd roared and cheered, Sweet Kiss’ owners were ecstatic, race officials were in awe, the spirit of the not-yet-born Seabiscuit swooned, and everyone ran down to the track to give congratulations. They were all oblivious to the reality of the situation.
As the winners’ circle beckoned though, it became apparent that something was terribly wrong. Frank Hayes lay motionless in the saddle. Had he fainted from glee? Had he passed out from all of the excitement? It was only after he slumped out of the saddle onto the ground that a doctor was rushed in; at which point the truth was revealed: Frank Hayes was dead.
Unsure of exactly when and where on the track it occurred, it was obvious that Hayes had suffered a heart attack and died during the actual race. Remarkably, he had slumped against Sweet Kiss without falling off until after the race had concluded. Experts did note a slight swerve in Sweet Kiss’s path towards the final jump, which they attributed to the jockey’s forward slump.
While newspapers at the time cited “exertion and excitement” as contributing to Hayes’ demise, none were aware of his health condition, caused by the extreme lengths he went to just hours before competition in order to meet the weight qualifications.
Despite this being only his second-ever race, Frank Hayes became a legend – the first jockey to achieve victory while deceased in the saddle.
As for Sweet Kiss, she never raced again. Despite her win, the tragedy that took place that June day in 1923 deterred any jocks (apparently a superstitious lot) from taking her reigns. Some even took to calling the horse “Sweet Kiss of Death”. It’s a good thing horses don’t speak human, because, man… that would’ve cut deep.
A week after the race, Frank Hayes was buried in the same riding silks he wore that fateful but glorious day – the same he wore during the first and only win of his career, even though he never had the chance to celebrate.