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This season of American Horror Story features a lot of familiar horror movie tropes, as is Ryan Murphy’s wont: mixing a variety of classic American horror imagery in one nutty bag. One of the more disturbing characters is Twisty the Clown, a murderous circus performer with a penchant for kidnapping and decapitation. He’s hardly the first terrifying clown on film, though; in the last three decades, these five movies have given Twisty some pretty scary competition.

Pennywise, 'It' (1990)

Stephen King‘s epic tome got the TV-miniseries treatment with Tim Curry providing an incredibly unsettling performance as Pennywise, an evil clown that terrorizes the children of Derry, Maine and resurfaces when they return to the town as adults. You know how everyone pretty much admits to a fear of clowns? That’s all Pennywise’s fault. [Where to stream It]

Captain Spaulding, 'The Devil's Rejects'

This guy is an associate of the psychopathic, murderous of the Firefly family (who also appeared in director Rob Zombie’s House of 1,000 Corpses), and is as brutal, disgusting, and dangerous as you might expect from his appearance. [Where to stream The Devil’s Rejects]

That Creepy Clown Doll, 'Poltergeist' (1982)

Those poor kids already had enough to deal with considering all of the ghosts moving around their house and dragging them to another dimension, but then that damn clown came to life and proved itself the most terrifying adversary of the film. [Where to stream Poltergeist]

Killer Klowns, 'Killer Klowns From Outer Space' (1988)

After landing on Earth from Outer Space, a clan of extraterrestrial clowns hunt down humans in a small California town, using weapons like popcorn guns, acidic pies, and balloon cages in this sci-fi/comedy/horror cult classic. [Where to stream Killer Klowns From Outer Space]