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| Jack Perry (Zig of the popular Australian clown duo, ]) raped his own grandaughter and pleaded guilty in court to it in 1994. | Jack Perry (Zig of the popular Australian clown duo, ]) raped his own grandaughter and pleaded guilty in court to it in 1994. | ||
| == The evil clown in popular culture == | |||
| {{Trivia|date=September 2007}} | |||
| The image of the evil clown appears to have gained notoriety to the extent of becoming a ]. | |||
| Major examples of "evil clown" imagery are: | |||
| *], who is the ] of ], is a murderously insane ] with a disturbing clown-like appearance. Appeared in ''Batman #1'' (]), three decades before ]. | |||
| *Konrad Beezo, one of the antagonists in the novel '']'', by ]. Also, there are two minor villains, Honker and Crinkles, who are arguably also "evil" clowns. | |||
| *In the ]' ] '']'', large clowns serve as ] for the ]. | |||
| *Musical groups such as the ], ], ], and ] of ] who impersonate clowns in a "creepy" manner. | |||
| *The famous professional wrestling gimmick of ] | |||
| *An evil clown named ] is a villain in the anime series ]. | |||
| *The ] novel ] revolves around nine children who are haunted by an evil clown named ]. | |||
| *The ] ] '']'' (1988). | |||
| *In an episode of ], the psychopath ] stalks Elaine, (to the opera ]), dressed as a clown. | |||
| *] ] has used a sadistic character named ] as an event icon for several years. | |||
| * In A Dark Place by Steven Shiverdecker. A book published by Infinity Publishing about a grotesque, murderous clown. | |||
| *], a character from the ] video game series. | |||
| *In the series ] the most powerful and evil Dark Master ] is said to be a shape-shifter that usually takes the shape of a dark and murderous clown. | |||
| *], the main villain of ] | |||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Revision as of 21:53, 8 October 2007
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The image of the evil clown is a recent development in American popular culture in which the playful trope of the clown is rendered as disturbing through the use of horror elements and dark humor.
Background
Many people find clowns disturbing rather than amusing. It is not uncommon for children to be afraid of disguised, exaggerated, or costumed figures — even Santa Claus. Clown costumes tend to exaggerate the facial features and some body parts, such as hands and feet. This can be read as monstrous or deformed as easily as it can be read as comical. At the same time, the clown act is often represented as drunken, reckless, or simply insane — that of the giggling maniac. This includes the notorious Canio who murdered Nedda and Silvio (recorded in Leoncavallo's opera Pagliacci.)
The irrational fear of clowns is known as coulrophobia.
It can also be said one's response to a clown might depend on where it's seen. At a circus or a party, a clown is normal and may easily be funny. The same clown knocking on one's front door at sunset is more likely to generate fear or distress than laughter or amusement. This effect is summed up in a quote often attributed to actor Lon Chaney, Sr.: "There is nothing funny about a clown in the moonlight."
John Wayne Gacy and Phantom Clowns
John Wayne Gacy, (March 17, 1942 - May 10, 1994) murdered and raped 33 boys. 27 boys were in the crawl space under his house while several others were found in a river. Naming himself "Pogo the Clown" he entertained children at parties. He was arrested in 1978 and was executed in 1994.
It is reported in Loren Coleman's book, Mysterious America that in the early 80's there were reports in the Midwest of supposed clowns or men dressed partially like clowns in vans attempting to lure and abduct children. He states that the reports were usually independent of each other and nothing was ever resolved and no suspects were ever caught. Coleman briefly discussed the incidents on a show of Coast to Coast AM on April 23rd, 2007.
Jack Perry (Zig of the popular Australian clown duo, Zig and Zag) raped his own grandaughter and pleaded guilty in court to it in 1994.
See also
- Trickster
- Bouffon
- Ubu Roi
- Pueblo Clowns
- Coulrophobia, the fear of clowns
- Krusty the Clown
External links
- Collection of Evil Clown Pictures at Scaryforkids