IT is so terrifying; real-life clowns are losing work. The first movie, which was released back in the ‘80s, started it all, and the current remake has perpetuated the fear of clowns everywhere.
Last April, Stephen King, the horror author, tweeted that clowns were “pissed at him.” But that they shouldn’t “kill the messenger for the message” because kids have always been scared of clowns.
The clowns are pissed at me. Sorry, most are great. BUT…kids have always been scared of clowns. Don’t kill the messengers for the message.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) April 10, 2017
King was referring to the hits many clowns are taking in the real world thanks to the horrifying killer clown, Pennywise.
King describes Pennywise as “a cross between Bozo and Clarabell” with “funny tufts of red hair on either side of his bald head,” writes The Hollywood Reporter. The gentle, harmless clown can turn to a razor-toothed child-eater in the blink of an eye, and many people blame him for the current epidemic of clown phobia, according to Hollywood Reporter.
Clowns have had school shows and library shows canceled. One clown had the police called on her after she arrived early for a children’s party and was waiting outside in her car.
The clinical term is coulrophobia, and Hollywood has been making money off it for years. Recently, it has popped up in everything from American Horror Story to real-life clowns stalking towns across America.
“For my generation, It launched untold cases of coulrophobia,” says film blogger and Stephen King fanatic Scott Wampler, according to Hollywood Reporter. He, like millions of ’80s kids, will never forget his first viewing. “It was the first exposure that a lot of kids my age had to horror movies. Parents weren’t taking their kids to see scary movies, but they let them watch It on TV because it aired in primetime.”
Clowns are now preparing themselves for the remake, which stars 27-year-old Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise. World Clown Associated president Pam Moody said that they were really caught off guard last year by the creepy clown sighting (which ended up being pranksters in store-bought clown masks). Since then, Moody said, there is a press kit to prepare clowns for the movie coming out.
According to Hollywood Reporter, the guide, “WCA Stand on Scary Clowns !!,” reminds the WCA membership that the “art of clown is something to be treasured and enjoyed” and that “just because someone wears a rubber Halloween mask, that does not make one a clown!”
The guide also suggests young children should not be exposed to horror movies like IT.
This article was featured in the InsideHook newsletter. Sign up now.
