Does the mere sight of a clown overwhelm you with feelings of dread, anger, fear, hysteria, or even make you feel nauseous? If so, you may have coulrophobia, the fancy term for a fear of clowns. And you’re not alone, either. Many people find clowns creepy and downright disturbing. Coulrophobia may have something to do with clowns’ comical yet borderline-monstrous facial and body features. The huge hands, feet, bellies, and red noses make them look deformed. Those highly exaggerated expressions drawn on their faces are often unchanging, making it hard to get a read on the person behind the makeup. That’s the whole idea, of course, but it freaks some of us out.
Recently there’s been a rash of creepy clown sightings all over the country. It started with reports of a clown trying to lure children into the woods in South Carolina. Other cases have also involved clowns engaging in behavior that is anything but positive. People report having been chased, threatened, and even attacked by these rogue clowns. These demented Bozos are sometimes armed with knives, machetes, or guns.
As two joggers in Newark, Ohio discovered, creepy clowns are no laughing matter. Chase Prior and Patrick Williams were out for a jog at 7:30 one morning when they saw a clown wandering on the trail ahead of them. By the time they caught up, the clown was halfway across a wooden bridge, facing away from them. Chase decided to confront him, yelling, “Yo, what the [bleep] are you doing, man? It’s 7:30 in the morning. Have you heard about all this [bleep]? People are freaking out about this!” The clown turned around and saying nothing, started walking briskly toward the joggers. When Chase saw that the clown was carrying a large knife, he and Patrick made a break for it rather than stick around to see if it was just a prank. We’d have done the same.
Check out the video we’ve posted below and tell us what you think in the Facebook comments. Be sure to like and share, too!
