Clown Fear Is Real, Perfect for Haunted House Owners
Clowns are enigmas. The role of the clown exists to create cheer to children, yet millions of people are scared of those painted-up actors. Let's delve to the frightening world of the clown and see why they strike terror in the hearts of some adults and children while bringing smiles to other people. We'll also see why clowns are perfect ghouls for haunted house owners. equipping the saints
It is interesting to see that driving a car of clowns is the best fear and even has a name - Coulrophobia. Coulrophobia is definitely an abnormal or exaggerated concern with clowns. Based on the Website way2hope.org, "Coulrophobia is quite common...one of the very best 10 most frequent specific phobias. Symptoms can range from high anxiety to outright panic attacks around people in clown outfits or other bizarre attire and make-up...even Santa Claus." Yep, worries of clowns is unquestionably real. This is actually the reason many haunted houses include clowns alongside the actors dressed as zombies, werewolves and witches.
Of course, it's not merely adults who're fearful of clowns. Although clowns are meant to entertain children, many children are scared of them. As a former haunted house manager, I think worries of clowns arises from the very fact the clown make-up obscures the wearer's face. Is Bozo really happy or is he only smiling while he has a painted-on grin? We don't know. Also, I think we instinctively recognize that vibrant colored outfits don't mean the clowns are always happy go lucky. What dark thoughts lurk inside the mind of a clown? No one except the clown knows.
Furthermore, I believe as a community we can't help but remember John Wayne Gacy, Jr. He did nothing great for the professional clowns of the world who work hard to create us laugh. John Wayne Gacy, Jr. was an American serial killer also referred to as the Killer Clown who committed the rape and murder of 33 teenage boys and teenagers between 1972 and 1978, based on Wikipedia. Twenty-six of Gacy's victims were buried in the crawlspace of his home, three others elsewhere on his property and four victims were discarded in a nearby river, the online database states.
Gacy was dubbed the Killer Clown when he entertained children as "Pogo The Clown." He was eventually sentenced to death, and on May 10, 1994, was executed by lethal injection. The world breathed a sigh of relief. But, many adults cannot help but remember photos of Gacy dressed as a clown. These images were published in newspapers and today are on the Internet. I am sure those images play a component into our concern with clowns.
Of course, it will take more than just one man to produce us afraid of clowns. Based on the site phobias.about.com, you can find two main theories surrounding why some folks are scared of clowns. The Internet site states, "In a 2004 review article for Trinity University, Joseph Durwin postulates there are two commonly accepted schools of thought. One is that worries is located in a poor personal experience with a clown at a new age. The 2nd theory is that mass media has established a hype surrounding evil clowns in a way that even children who're not personally subjected to clowns are trained to dislike or fear them."
Durwin's theory that society has created hype around evil clowns is fascinating to me. It's true that Stephen King scared us through the book and film version of It. The novel and film revolve around an evil alien-type creature that disguises itself as "Pennywise the Dancing Clown." Also, as I mentioned earlier, there are many haunted houses that feature killer clowns. There's Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988), the famous b-movie from the 1980s that brought clowns into our nightmares, as well.
So, has society brought this concern with clowns on itself? It becomes a chicken and the egg issue. Did books, movies, haunted houses, and the image of Gacy cause our concern with clowns? Or did movies and haunted houses begin using clowns to strike terror because society had been afraid of these? Which came first? Sadly, there does not seem to be an answer yet.
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