27 scariest pop culture clowns

Sariest pop culture clowns — John Carroll Lynch on 'American Horror Story: Freak Show'; Bill Skarsgard in 'It'; Sid Haig in 'House of 1000 Corpses'. Photo:
Michele K. Short/FX/courtesy Everett Collection; Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection; Lions Gate/courtesy Everett Collection

For as joyous and silly as clowns are supposed to be, pop culture has twisted the perception of these jesters to such an extent that some people only have a negative association with them. While playful and childlike to some, the garish makeup, perpetual smiling, and mischievous behavior can also easily be associated with horror tropes. Some of the most terrifying villains in film, TV, and comics are clowns — or use clownlike imagery to chilling effect. Worst of all, it has even permeated the real world.

So, readers with coulrophobia beware, as we list our 27 favorite terrifying clowns from pop culture.

01 of 27

Pennywise — It

No list of creeptastic clowns is complete without this dancing nightmare, so let's just get him out of the way. He's everything from a geyser of blood to a werewolf and a giant spider, but it only makes sense that his most frequent manifestation — representing the sum total of any group of people's greatest fears — is a sadistic, claw-slashing Bozo lookalike. Originally played by Tim Curry in 1990's It miniseries, Bill Skarsgård brushes off the creepy character for the 2017 film adaptation and its 2019 sequel. —Lanford Beard

02 of 27

Twisty — American Horror Story: Freak Show

Twisty the Clown on 'American Horror Story: Freak Show'. FX

AHS mastermind Ryan Murphy has said that Freak Show's Big Bad was his attempt to "go head-on at [people's fear of clowns]," adding, "we tried to make him the most terrifying clown of all time." One look at Twisty — played by character actor John Carroll Lynch — and it would seem Murphy succeeded. —L.B.

03 of 27

Sweet Tooth — Twisted Metal

Sweet Tooth in 'Twisted Metal'. Sony Computer Entertainment

Sweet Tooth is the closest thing to a mascot the Twisted Metal series has, perfectly encapsulating the franchise's dark sense of humor. Tooth, or Marcus "Needles" Kane as he's also called (presumably at his day job), is already scary enough for being a murderous clown. But his preferred vehicle of choice? An ice cream truck outfitted for total destruction, so your clown-fueled nightmares can also ruin your favorite dessert. —Jonathon Dornbush

04 of 27

Zeebo the Clown — Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Zeebo the Clown on 'Are You Afraid of the Dark?'.

Presenting the No. 1 cause of coulrophobia in children of the '90s: Ghost clown Zeebo, a toothy, unholy amalgam of Bozo and Freddy Krueger. (Like Freddy, he died in a fire before becoming a restless spirit; like Freddy, he preys primarily on kids.) And, as a little redheaded jerk discovered in "The Tale of Laughing in the Dark," he really doesn't like it when you steal his nose. —Hillary Busis

05 of 27

Zombie Clown — Zombieland

Zombie Clown in 'Zombieland'. Everett Collection

Set the denouement of your zom-com at an abandoned amusement park, and you all but guarantee a visit from an undead jester. And Zombieland doesn't disappoint, siccing a drooling, brain-hungry circus reject on Jesse Eisenberg's Columbus. (His greatest fear? Clowns, of course.) Shudder. They're bad enough when they're alive. —H.B.

06 of 27

Zombie Clowns — Left 4 Dead 2

Thought one zombie clown was enough? Wrong-o! Clowns are no exception to the Left 4 Dead franchise's impressive array of undead foes. While fending off these undead clowns, if players use a melee attack, the zombie clown's horn honks. Unfortunately, their squeaky shoes easily attract more zombies as they run toward you, hungry for blood and laughter — mostly blood. —J.D.

07 of 27

Bart's Bed — The Simpsons

Imagine falling asleep with a clown staring back at you every night. That's what gave little Bart vivid hallucinations after Homer built him a shoddy and terrifying clown-themed bedstead, causing a traumatized Bart to repeat "Can't sleep, clown will eat me," over and over again. Lesson learned: Check out IKEA first. —Teresa Jue

08 of 27

Captain Spaulding — House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects

Captain Spaulding in 'House of 1000 Corpses'. Everett Collection

There are clowns who like to make balloon animals. And there are those who like to snort cocaine, beat women, and threaten children. Genre favorite Sid Haig's foul-mouthed and equally foul-underwear-ed Captain Spaulding is in the second camp. Although, he does like ice cream. —Clark Collis

09 of 27

The Joker — Batman

The Joker in 'Batman: Arkham Origins'. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

The Joker has been around almost as long as Batman, terrifying people for more than 80 years. With a history that deep, scary moments abound — from comics stories like Gotham Central's "Soft Targets" or the Death of the Family arc in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Batman, to the Arkham video game series and Heath Ledger's iconic performance in The Dark Knight, the Joker is the gold standard in creepy clowns. —Joshua Rivera

10 of 27

Insane Clown Posse

Despite Violent J & Shaggy 2 Dope's rap lyrics about beating, torturing, and serial killing, the scariest thing about the Insane Clown Posse might be their rabid fans, the Juggalos, even though they're just showing Clown Love. Say it with them, now: "Down with the Clown 'til they're dead in the ground!" —Kurt Christenson

11 of 27

Plucky — Supernatural

Plucky on 'Supernatural' — Plucky (left) with Jared Padalecki on 'Supernatural'. Jack Rowand/The CW

When Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) headed to local pizza chain Plucky Pennywhistle's Magical Menagerie to investigate some murders, they discovered that children's drawings of their worst fears were coming to life and committing murder. Leave it to Sam to have to face his personal nightmare when a gang of bulletproof clowns, led by Plucky, violently attacked him. If Sam Winchester is scared of them, there's good reason. —Samantha Highfill

12 of 27

The Klowns — Killer Klowns from Outer Space

The Klowns in 'Killer Klowns from Outer Space'. Everett Collection

Sure, the stars of this purposefully bad clownsploitation flick are more goofy than scary — if you're made of stone, that is. Those sagging smiles and rotten teeth can induce shivers regardless of how cheesy the rest of the movie is. (They wrap dead bodies in cotton candy cocoons! They track prey with a bloodhound made of a balloon! Instead of ray guns, they shoot their enemies with popcorn! "Popcorn? Why popcorn?!" "Because they're clowns, that's why!") —H.B.

13 of 27

Adam — Dead Rising

What's scarier than a clown? A clown with a chainsaw. What's scarier than that? A clown with two chainsaws. That's what Dead Rising forces players to contend with when Adam MacIntyre, or Adam the Clown, shows up on the scene. Quite acrobatic for such a large clown, Adam can spin and roll his way around to fight the player while also using his fire breath, hunting knives, and balloons filled with an irritant gas in combat. Unfortunately, his favorite tools are also his downfall — Adam dies by chainsaw, laughing himself into a gory clown abyss. —J.D.

14 of 27

"Crazy" Joe Davola — Seinfeld

Crazy Joe Davola on 'Seinfeld' — 'Crazy' Joe Davola on 'Seinfeld'. NBC

It didn't take dressing up like a clown for "Crazy" Joe Davola (Peter Crombie) to start freaking the gang out on Seinfeld — but it certainly didn't help his cause. Beyond the pictures of Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) hanging in his apartment/gym and the threat of the "kibosh" on Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), the whole Pagliacci look was enough to make anyone thankful for cherry Binaca. —Ben Boskovich

15 of 27

Pogo — Gacy

"Pogo" in 'Gacy' — Pogo in 'Gacy'. Lionsgate

Real-life mass murderer John Wayne Gacy validates every fear about clowns: The beloved Chicagoan performed as his alter ego Pogo the Clown at children's parties...until he was discovered to be a serial killer and rapist who preyed on young boys. So, what was that about clowns not being scary? —Ariana Bacle

16 of 27

Nightmare Bicycle Doctor Clowns — Pee-wee's Big Adventure

Nightmare Bicycle Doctor Clowns in 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure'. Warner Bros.

Pee-wee (Paul Reubens) falls into a peaceful sleep only for a dream full of ruthless clowns to interrupt his slumber. The clowns, wearing too-wide grins and nurse costumes, steal and destroy Pee-wee's bicycle as the menacing "Clown Dream" score plays, making for a scene that's less clown dream and more clown nightmare. —A.B.

17 of 27

Kefka Palazzo — Final Fantasy VI

Kefka Palazzo in 'Final Fantasy VI'. Square

At first, Kefka isn't all that intimidating — he's just a jester, y'know? Small potatoes on your mission to save the world. But then his madness and power both begin to grow, and everything changes. And few video game villains have managed to be as memorable, or as unsettling, since. —J.R.

18 of 27

Robot Clowns — Doctor Who

In 1989's "The Greatest Show in the Galaxy," the Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) and sidekick Ace (Sophie Aldred) — who had a decidedly rational fear of clowns — visited the interstellar Psychic Circus, where a sinister troupe of dead-eyed robot clowns lured victims into the deadly ring. All eerily mute, save for the cockeyed Chief Clown (a chilling Ian Reddington), they prowled the barren landscape in a hearse, capturing runaway performers and imprisoning them in a nightmarish robot clown repair room. —Carolyn Todd

19 of 27

WDP Circus Clowns — Dumbo

For a children's movie, Dumbo has a number of moments of heartbreak (cue sobs thinking of "Baby Mine") and terror. The latter category includes these clowns. The clowns trap Dumbo in a burning building, forcing him to jump out of a window as part of an act. They also inadvertently get Dumbo drunk, leading to the "Pink Elephants on Parade" sequence — truly the most terrifying part of the movie. —Esther Zuckerman

20 of 27

The Clown (a.k.a. Violator) — Spawn

The Clown (a.k.a. Violator) in 'Spawn'. Everett Collection

At first, the Clown appears to be nothing more than a repulsive demon sent to antagonize Spawn into fulfilling his role as one of Hell's soldiers. But when grossness and insults won't work, the Clown will terrify you instead — transforming into the Violator. —J.R.

21 of 27

Maxie Martin and Jennings — The Avengers

Maxie Martin and Jennings on 'The Avengers'. ABC

Appearing in the 1968 TV episode "Look — (Stop Me If You've Heard This One) But There Were These Two Fellers...," the homicidal jokesters pulled a bait-and-switch by brandishing a fake gun, then knocking off their victim with a real one. That's not funny! —L.B.

22 of 27

Carol Anne and Robbie's Doll — Poltergeist

Carol Anne and Robbie's Doll in 'Poltergeist'. MGM

The clown doll lurking in the room of siblings Carol Anne (Heather O'Rourke) and Robbie Freeling (Oliver Robins) is basically the Chekhov's gun of Poltergeist — when viewers see his sinister grin and dead eyes early in the film, it's understood that he's going to come to life in the third act to murderous effect. —Kyle Ryan

23 of 27

Kinky Pinky — NARC

Kinky Pinky in 'NARC'. Williams Electronics

Wielding a knife and running crime impresario Mr. Big's porn racket, this murderer only needed 32 bits to give arcade-visiting '80s children thousands of nightmares. —L.B.

24 of 27

Sticky — Married...With Children

Sticky on 'Married... With Children' — Sticky on 'Married...With Children'. Fox

A mother's nightmare: When you hire your kid's childhood hero (admittedly, for the red flag-raising price of $5), and he turns out to be a disturbed man with a habit of getting stabby with stuffed animals. Silver lining: Peg Bundy (Katey Sagal) was only out $5. —L.B.

25 of 27

Helmut Doork — The Day the Clown Cried

Helmut Doork in 'The Day the Clown Cried'. Everett Collection

Remember the time Jerry Lewis directed and starred in a movie about a German clown who's sent to a concentration camp to entertain Jewish kids before they're led to the gas chambers? No? That's probably because The Day the Clown Cried was never released in theaters — maybe because of rights issues, maybe because its producer ran out of money, or maybe, just maybe, because it's just too heinous ever to see the light of day. Perhaps the scariest part of all, though? That this movie was ever made in the first place. —H.B.

26 of 27

Clown Doll — Poltergeist (2015)

Clown Doll in 'Poltergeist'. 20th Century Fox

The Sam Rockwell-starring remake of director Tobe Hooper's classic 1982 supernatural saga retains a host of elements from the original, creepy toy clown included. The twist? Its nose is on a string. It's creepier than it sounds.

27 of 27

Buggy the Clown — One Piece

Jeff Ward as Buggy the Clown on 'One Piece'.
Courtesy of Netflix

Clowns are terrifying on their own, but a clown pirate captain who has the ability to separate parts of his body? There's a reason why Buggy the Clown is a favorite among One Piece fans — his wicked sense of humor and charisma make him a scene-stealer, especially on Netflix's live-action adaptation where Jeff Ward plays him with unhinged glee. —Kevin Jacobsen

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