New 'It' film has professional clowns downright terrified

CTV News Channel: Scaring away customers? Author Benjamin Radford says people will continue to love clowns despite being portrayed more often in horror genres.

Anyone whose adolescence landed in the 1990s likely remembers Pennywise, the murderous, razor-toothed clown that terrorized countless sleepovers through the TV miniseries “It.”

Based on a Stephen King novel of the same name, “It” follows a group of kids who set out to destroy the clown-slash-shapeshifting monster after it kills one of their friends. The story became an instant Halloween classic and helped solidify “killer clowns” as its own category of horror.

Next week, a much-anticipated “It” reboot starring Bill Skarsgard is expected to terrify a new generation of kids after the film hits theatres on Friday.

And that prospect has some real-life clowns downright spooked.

The World Clown Association issued a handy explainer in anticipation of the film insisting that Pennywise is a “fantasy character” and “not a true clown.” They explain that true clowns are meant to bring joy.

“The horror movie character ‘Jason’ wears a hockey goalie mask. But, people would be mistaken if they actually thought he was a hockey player!” the organization said in a statement.

Benjamin Radford, an American folklorist and author of “Bad Clowns,” said concerns within the clowning community aren’t unfounded.

“There is some legitimacy to it,” Radford told CTV News Channel on Friday.

Cycle of fear

As far as headlines go, it’s been a tough season for professional clowns. Last year, numerous reports of masked clowns wielding machetes, creeping around schools and luring children into the woods surfaced across North America. Several arrests were made, including a few in Nova Scotia, but many of the incidents remain unexplained.

As those stories emerged, Radford said he was contacted by numerous worried clowns. Now that the spotlight is back on “It,” Radford says he thinks clowns may see a brief but temporary drop in business.

“There is a whole generation of people who were scared by Pennywise the clown from decades ago, but still today people hire clowns,” he said.

The idea of scary clowns goes through a cycle, Radford said. Even after the hype from “It” dies down, American Horror story may stoke fresh fears in its upcoming season, which is expected to include a clown-related cult.

“I don’t think there’s going to be lasting damage to it,” Radford said. “The idea of scary clowns comes and goes … overall, people have loved clowns for centuries.”

Unmasking coulrophobia

The reason some people are scared of clowns goes beyond pop culture. Radford says he studied coulrophobia while researching his book and was surprised to find that, compared to the fear of heights or sharks, the fear of clowns is relatively rare.

The root of that fear, Radford believes, is the mask.

“If you think about the people we see in our day to day lives, we see their expression, we hear their tone of voice… and when you cover that face with grease paint or a mask, you put a barrier between you and the humanity of the other person.”

The fact that professional clowns are typically found at events for children, like birthday parties and circuses, only heightens that sense of unease, Radford said.

“So you combine the need to protect children with this idea that there’s a masked adult that may do something bad to them,” he said.

For those who can’t overcome their fear of a full-grown adult wearing face paint and oversized shoes, Radford has some sage advice.

“Don’t go to the circus.”