Top 10 Scariest Movie Clowns Of All Time

As kids, people were taught that clowns are their friends, as they often saw them at birthday parties; but once those kids saw their first clown movie, they most likely had a change of heart. At a certain point, or maybe by accident, society changed the outlook people have on clowns, and changed the picture into a much more sinister one.

For decades, film makers have taken an innocent character and turned it into something audiences should be scared of.

Top 10 Scariest Movie Clowns - Photo: Mixi's

The list of 10 scariest movie clowns of all time

1. It (2017)

2. Killer Klowns from Outer Space

3. Poltergeist

4. The Devil’s Rejects

5. Jack-In-The-Box Clown - Krampus (2015)

6. The Joker/Arthur Fleck - Joker (2019)

7. Billy The Puppet - Saw (2003)

8. Pennywise - It (1990 & 2017)

9. Art The Clown - Terrifier (2016)

10. Stitches, The Maniacal Clown - Stitches (2012)

Which are the scariest movie clowns of all time?

1. Pennywise - It (2017)

Photo: Khen Phim

One of the scariest movies because: Well… clowns. The latest adaptation of Stephen King’s frightful page-turner surpassed The Exorcist for the highest-grossing R-rated scary movie ever. Remakes often fall short, but this one rebels against that trend. We think this version is absolutely one of the best scary movies of all time.

What the critics say: Even before movie reviews dropped, critic Halleigh Fatouch of Collider tweeted “It’s scary as sh–.” Skarsgard nails Pennywise, she added.

2. Killer Klowns from Outer Space

Photo: 5 Great Horror Taglines - Bloody Disgusting

They initially appear to be cute and cuddly – especially the smaller ones. These clowns descend down on Earth in a huge circus-like spaceship. However, appearances often fool even the wisest of men and these clowns have not appeared to spread cheer.

Every movie watcher is bound to believe them to be harmless characters in the film. This assumption soon turns wrong as the clowns ready themselves to take on the town using their cotton candy killer guns. They also possess two more deadly weapons – murderous shadow puppets and popcorn that spews out alien organisms.

The clowns are really twisted. The movie even features a scene where one of the clowns uses the dead body of a cop as a ventriloquist’s dummy and they also have a large sized clown called JoJo the Klownzilla.

3. Clown Doll - Poltergeist

Photo: The Movie Database

The movie poltergeist seems to be the primary cause of the fall in sales of clown dolls even though it is beyond us why people make a collection of such ugly and scary dolls.

The movie features an evil spirit that possess the clown doll and comes to life. This depiction itself is scary enough to give children multiple sleepless nights. In addition to this, the killer doll also dispels the age old assumption of the bed being the sole safe place for children. It sneaks into Robbie’s bed to attack him while his face morphs into a twisted grotesque appearance which makes the scene even more terrifying. In a nutshell – clown dolls are much worse than clowns themselves.

4. Violator - Spawn (1997)

Photo: Screen Rant

In darker toned movies, it's always good to have a comedic presence to bite through the tension, and it seems like the clown version of Violator plays the part in Spawn. Played by iconic actor John Leguizamo, he's sent to Earth to taunt Spawn and mentor him in his new role as a Hellspawn.

He cracks jokes, and his character is loud and pudgy, which makes him seem more comical than scary. Once he changes into his "true" form though, that's a different story.

5. Jack-In-The-Box Clown - Krampus (2015)

Photo: Tumgir

Usually holiday movies are family-friendly and filled with wondrous characters, but Krampus takes a different path. A-list actors such as Adam Scott and Toni Collette star in this festive film and join in on the fun and laughs that the first half of the movie portrays. Once Krampus and his minions are released, it all changes.

Krampus's evil toy characters such as the Jack-in-the-Box above are incredibly terrifying, and it gets to the point where Jack swallows one of the people in the house. Straight up holiday chills.

6. The Joker/Arthur Fleck - Joker (2019)

Photo: fanpop

Joker is the most recent clown movie and falls between silly and scary, but in different ways. Arthur just wants to make people smile and is genuinely a good person with mental issues; but once he's pushed too far and has had enough, he turns into something else. He hops on the path of destruction by starting a revolution and a bloody crime spree.

7. Billy The Puppet - Saw (2003)

Photo: Screen Rant

One of the most iconic and recognizable characters in the horror industry has got to be Billy the Puppet. He doesn't actually harm people, but he does often deliver harmful messages to his master's prisoners. Fans of the Saw franchise know that when Billy makes an appearance, something insidious is about to go down.

8. Captain Spaulding - House Of 1000 Corpses (2003)

Photo: Prime Video

Captain Spaulding, played by the late Sid Haig, may look a little scary, but he's actually one of the most innocent characters in House of 1000 Corpses. He's a proprietor of a gas station and fried chicken eatery, which also serves as a roadside attraction. He may be a vulgar clown, but his personality and jokes sets him more on the sillier side when it comes to film clowns.

He may not have good intentions, but by no means is he more terrifying than some of companions in this film.

9. Art The Clown - Terrifier (2016)

Photo: IMDb

Sometimes it doesn't take a whole village to make a scary film, because Terrifer broke the mold in that category. Usually there's a story behind a villain's purpose to cause mayhem, but with Art, there isn't, and that is what makes him so scary. Art stalks and kills anyone who crosses his path, which again, is creepy because there really is no motive.

At first he comes off as semi-friendly, until his whole demeanor changes in an instant. He also never says a peep throughout the film, which makes him mysterious and even scarier.

10. Stitches, The Maniacal Clown - Stitches (2012)

Photo: IMDb

He's rude, crude and back from the dead; he's Stitches the clown. The film starts out innocent enough - Stitches is an unhappy clown that entertains at kids' birthday parties. He takes an untimely fall and end up passing away, but comes back for vengeance.

It's a fun ride that turns into a teen slasher, with funny bits here and there. It's definitely a low-budget film, but got the job done right by blending a clown's many moods.

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