The scariest screen clowns ever created, ranked
With American Horror Story bringing back Twisty and the movie reboot of Stephen King's IT beckoning ominously this autumn from a storm drain near you, it's time to paint the town dread and celebrate the finest clowns to scare the crap out of small- and big-screen audiences alike.
Those with an aversion to red noses, make-up or enormous killing sprees should probably look away now. (Oh, and The Joker is not eligible, or this list would be twice as long…)
25th – Killer Clowns from Outer Space (1988)
"It was a space ship. And there was these things, these killer clowns, and they shot popcorn at us! We barely got away!"
24th – Evil Krusty Doll, The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror (1992)
"Take this object, but beware it carries a terrible curse!"
"Ooh, that's bad."
"But it comes with a free frogurt!"
"That's good."
"The frogurt is also cursed."
"That's bad."
"But you get your choice of toppings."
"That's good!"
"The toppings contain potassium benzoate… … … That's bad."
"Can I go now?"
23rd – Clown Dolls, Poltergeist (2015)
"Our last closet ate me."
22nd – Clown Zombie, Zombieland (2008)
"F**k this clown."
21st – Louis Seagram, Carnival of Souls (1998)
"I know it sounds impossible, but I know he's here."
20th – Clown, The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
"They're like something from a nightmare."
"No, they're something nightmares are from. Everything in our stable is from another world."
19th – Mr Jelly, Psychoville (2009)
"Keeps kids quiet."
18th – Jester the Clown, Puppet Master (1989)
"I had this dream and I came here to make sure it didn't come true."
17th – Billy, Saw (2004)
"I want to play a game."
16th – Jangles the Clown, Inside Out (2015)
"Did you say 'birthday'?"
15th – Captain Spaudling, House of 1,000 Corpses (2003)
"Goddamn, motherf**ker got blood all over my best clown suit."
14th – The Mask, Frayed (2007)
"There's something inside him that wants to get out… we're just not equipped for what he might be capable of."
13th – F**ko, Scary or Die (2012)
"Thank you sir... can I have another?"
12th – Killjoy (2000)
"Come give Killjoy some sugar."
11th – Kent from Clown (2014)
"Jack, you have to kill your daddy."
10th – Pennywise, IT (2017)
"Want a balloon?"
9th – Marvellous Mervo, Blood Harvest (1987)
"I've just come to welcome you home, Jill…"
8th – Twisty, American Horror Story: Freakshow (2014)
"They wanted a monster so I decided to give them one."
7th – Gurdy the Clown, 100 Tears (2007)
"Just because we're a circus, you think we know every clown? F**k you, pal."
6th – The Laugh, Amusement (2008)
"Boys, listen to me, we have to hide. There's a bad man, a very bad man in the house."
Matt is a journalist, audience strategist, editorial director and workflow consultant with over 20 years' of experience in the industry.
A former director of audience development and content strategy at Hearst UK, Matt was previously Editor-in-Chief of Digital Spy. There, he contributed features and reviews on TV, movies, consumer technology, video games and Lego sets, won BSME Digital Editor of the Year, and led the team to numerous awards including Campaign Consumer Media Brand of the Year and PPA Digital Content Team of the Year twice.
As Digital Development Director of the Hearst UK portfolio, he oversaw the central digital editorial teams including SEO, video, e-commerce and design, contributing to digital acceleration across all Hearst UK brands from Cosmopolitan to Good Housekeeping.
Before joining Hearst in 2015, Matt edited Future’s consumer technology lifestyle brand T3 and the UK arm of Gawker’s tech culture website Gizmodo, and was deputy editor at ShortList, the then biggest men’s magazine in the UK, interviewing the likes of Quentin Tarantino, Lord Sugar and Sirs Ridley Scott and David Attenborough in the process. LinkedIn
Abi Harman is Deputy Pictures Editor at Digital Spy. She manages our Instagram account and specialises in imagery, showbiz and anything about Gossip Girl.
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