The Scariest Clowns In Movie History, Ranked
- 1314 VOTES
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Who he is: Pennywise, AKA Pennywise the Dancing Clown, hails as the title creepy villain from Stephen King's IT and the horror movie franchise spawned by the novel.
What he does: A shape-shifter, terrorizer, and monstrously malicious manipulator, Pennywise uses his demonic powers to harvest and prey on the fears of the children in Derry, ME. He also sheds his pale white clown skin to peel back his entire face and literally eat the children alive.
Why he's uniquely scary: Pennywise is only one of the many repulsive forms IT takes. While stalking the residents of Derry, IT shifts into whatever is the most frightening thing to his prey. The character's clown form is simply meant to further petrify the children before IT dines on them, described as similar to "salting the meat."
- 2259 VOTES
Kent McCoy ('Clown')
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Who he is: In Clown, when Kent McCoy hosts a birthday party for his son, a clown he hires as an entertainer doesn't show up, so he finds an old clown suit and plays the role himself. But after falling asleep in the clown get-up, he wakes up infused to the entire costume - wig, nose, and all. Kent goes as far as shredding his own skin in an attempt to remove the cursed suit, but it has attached itself to him for life.
What he does: Slowly going insane because he can't remove the horrible suit, Kent discovers that he has actually attached himself to the hair and skin of a demon called the "Clöyne." Once bound to the suit, Kent begins to succumb to insatiable hunger - for children. The demon must consume five of them before Kent can peel off the suit.
Why he's uniquely scary: Stuck in the demonic clown costume, Kent is forced to consume kids to quell the beast that has attached to his body. Kent tries to take his own life and eventually goes on a rampage, devouring all the kids he can find in his path. He's attached to a curse that demands he either slay or be slain.
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Who he is: A clown who lingers silently in the darkness, Art the Clown is the psychologically tormenting clown from All Hallows' Eve.
What he does: Art the Clown films his cruelties for a three-part anthology video he stashes on a VHS tape in a child's Halloween trick-or-treat bag. As a horrified babysitter watches the tape, she sees previous gruesome horrors he has committed.
Why he's uniquely scary: Art doesn't need to say a single word to be absolutely terrifying. From his films and sinister demeanor alone, he is able to terrorize others by showing exactly what his intent is. Art's next act is the big surprise.
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- The Devil's Rejects
- Lionsgate Films
Who he is: Better known by his alias, Cutter, Captain Spaulding is a homicidal clown who achieves his infamous nickname after felling a man with a knife. Although a felonious and foul clown, he shows the dark bonds of family in the Rob Zombie franchise that includes The Devil's Rejects.
What he does: Captain Spaulding is the patriarch of the Firefly family, a group of evil freak show fugitives. Committing offenses and taking the blame for other family members' mishaps, Cutter covers up his deeds by posing as the leader of the roadside attraction Captain Spaulding's Museum of Monsters and Madmen.
Why he's uniquely scary: This clown captain is not only lurking in the shadows of a haunting, roadside attraction, but he's also a ruthless slayer. He says his two loves are serial slaying and fried chicken. While the fried chicken part might not be so intimidating, the lust for serial slaying coupled with his thirsty illicit moonshine business will put a chill down any traveler's spine.
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- 5161 VOTES
'The Heads' ('31')
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Who he is: The Heads are a horrible cast of clowns who love to torment and play survival games with a group of carnival workers in the Rob Zombie film 31 (the title refers to the date of Halloween).
What he does: Taking their hostage affair to a Saw-like level, the clowns of 31 set up a game that taunts their prey to escape. The Heads terrorize and chase the captured carnies through a deadly maze, make bets on their progress, and slay those who fall behind.
Why he's uniquely scary: The Heads take captives knowing not a single one is bound to make it out alive. These clowns live for the thrill of the chase, harm, and eventual elimination of innocent people.
- 6211 VOTES
Clown Doll ('Poltergeist')
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Who he is: The clown doll from the film Poltergeist isn't a major character, serving mainly as a distraction so the other ghosts can nab Carol Anne, but it is still terrifying.
What he does: Finding fantastically spooky spots to hide, the clown doll acts as both a cryptic observer and a distraction, attempting to cut off air to Robbie after he tries to hide the toy by covering it up with his jacket.
Why he's scary: Clown toys should not be moving around on their own, let alone attempting to slay innocent people. Although it wants to play innocent, this doll is powered by both beasts and ghosts, making it a menacing enemy.
- 7160 VOTES
Der Klown ('Krampus')
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Who he is: In Krampus, Der Klown, AKA Jack-in-the-Box, is a spring-loaded toy with sharp fangs and a gruesome demeanor who pops up during the holiday season spreading anything but cheer.
What he does: Don't be fooled by his charming jester hat and quaint music box. Der Klown is a stalker with a thirst for flesh: he captures people and eats them alive.
Why he's uniquely scary: Taking the form of a familiar children's toy, Der Klown could be lurking under the gift wrap of any seemingly innocent Christmas present. Like a twisted, porcelain snake, he will unhinge his jaw and consume any human in his path.
- 8131 VOTES
F*cko ('Scary or Die')
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Who he is: Despite his silly name, F*cko is not a wacky-fun clown. From the horror anthology Scary or Die comes a flesh-eating clown who will stop at nothing to spread the cannibalistic disease.
What he does: When F*cko the clown shows up for a birthday party gig, it quickly turns sour. The tainted entertainer bites a member of the family, and the party quickly turns into ground zero for a zombie flesh-eating festival.
Why he's uniquely scary: Out of nowhere, F*cko really f*cks things up. Once bitten by the diseased clown, his prey transforms into a human-consumer, with an urge to devour others that can't be stopped.
- 9140 VOTES
Who he is: Stitches the Clown is the title character of the film Stitches. He meets his untimely end while entertaining ungrateful children.
What he does: Although hired to be the life of the party, Stitches is accidentally slain by a bunch of kids at a birthday celebration. The kids prank him, tie his shoes together, and impale him multiple times on a huge knife, setting the stage for clown-filled vengeance.
Why he's uniquely scary: This entertainer always had something strange about him, and that strangeness comes to its climax when he returns to finish off his slayers. After rising from the grave, he warns the now-teenage children who brought about his demise that his jokes aren't as funny the second time around. He proves their point by hacking and slashing his way through their birthday party reunion.
- 10103 VOTES
Killjoy ('Killjoy')
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Who he is: Killjoy is the title character of the Killjoy franchise, and although a playful clown, he sucks the fun out of whatever revenge plot he's been called upon to carry out.
What he does: Killjoy comes to life through black magic, summoned by people who have been wronged. Killjoy then slays in the name of the summoner.
Why he's uniquely scary: When this clown comes back to life, he is actually harboring the soul of the summoner. Using him as a revenge tool might seem like a satisfying way to obtain justice, but the summoner doesn't survive either. Plus, Killjoy hides away in a pillar of innocence: an ice cream truck.
- 11152 VOTES
The Klowns ('Killer Klowns From Outer Space')
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Who he is: Coming all the way from the depths of the galaxy are the Killer Klowns from Outer Space, from the movie of the same name. These alien Klowns do not come in peace. Instead, they're hungry.
What he does: They collect humans to harvest for food, blasting Earthly targets with popcorn and coating their cars in something sticky that looks like cotton candy. They liquefy and drink humans as a form of sustenance.
Why he's uniquely scary: A combination of both aliens and clowns, they take all the fun parts of a circus and make them deadly, such as balloon animals, funky straws (used to drink liquefied humans), cotton candy, popcorn, puppets, and the big top itself - the circus tent is their spaceship.
- 12112 VOTES
Jester ('Puppet Master')
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Who he is: In the film Puppet Master, Jester wasn't always a doll; he was once a jolly old bookkeeper who loved to tell jokes. That is, until one day when his jokes made him a target for Third Reich thugs. His soul remains bound to the Jester puppet.
What he does: Since his fatal mishap, Jester has cut down on the jokes. Instead, he sticks to luring unsuspecting targets, setting them up for his deadly puppet pals to wipe out.
Why he's uniquely scary: The living puppet is both malicious and small, which allows him to sneak into spaces other deadly puppets can't fit. He's a creepy watchman, keeping tabs on people while distracting them just enough to lure them into his traps.
- 13118 VOTES
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Who he is: As one can guess from its name alone, this clown isn't just any old clown; it's also an undead zombie hungry for human flesh.
What he does: The Clown Zombie - creepy, deadly, and relentless - directly confronts Columbus as he tries to save sisters Wichita and Little Rock from harm.
Why he's uniquely scary: Along with being psychotic, the Clown Zombie makes Columbus directly face his fears of both clowns and zombies as he fights for his friends' lives.
- 14119 VOTES
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Who he is: Violator is the hellish version of a clown created by Todd McFarlane for the Spawn comic book, TV, and film franchises. He has crowned himself one of Spawn's greatest supervillains.
What he does: To keep himself disguised, the vicious and vile Violator disguises himself as a clown. In actuality, he's a warped, demonic ruler of Hell who goes on slaying sprees whenever he's feeling particularly bloodthirsty.
Why he's uniquely scary: Originally intended to be Spawn's mentor, Violator will stop at nothing to prove humans are unworthy of possessing any Hellish powers. Because Violator cannot slay Hellspawn, he drains and exhausts them, and because he is so powerful, he can't be eliminated. Whenever it seems like Violator is gone, he's jolted back into the depths of Hell and rises again.
