[glasshalffull]

Do you like or hate clowns?

 

[CrypticCuriosity]

I love clowns! I've personally never found them scary. I'm big on circus history and I collect antique clown statues. You should see some people's reactions to the harmless little things.

 

[Ugly Joe]

Love 'em!
Friendly, scary, drab or demented, I just like that they disturb people on some deep emotional level.
Makes me want to hug 'em!

Tim Curry as Pennywise may be one of my favorites of all.

 

[CaliforniaMelanie]

I'm terrified of them and have been since I was tiny. I don't mean "scary" Halloween horror clowns, I mean regular circus and birthday party clowns.

I could never figure out why the other kids were laughing and sounding joyful when this odd-looking...thing with a gigantic gaping maw of a painted mouth full of grinning teeth was jerking toward them and screaming what was interpreted as "funny" stuff in a really weird phony voice.

Clowns scare the poop out of me.

No offense to any part-time clowns out there, I don't want to come off as an anti-clownite.

 

[Saruman of Many Colours]

Neither. I'm indifferent when it comes to clowns. *shrug*

 

[Bruzilla]

I have no fear of clowns and never have, but a friend of mine's wife is like Melanie. She is totally terrified of them, to the point that she'll go into hysterics if she even sees one. She's also deathly afraid of balloons... go figure.

 

[Zombastic]

I've been doing a home haunt for years. A few years back when I started dressing up as a creepy clown I got more scares than ever before.
So yeah, I love clowns.

 

[DeadED]

Neutral... I can understand the fear but I do not fear them. So I don't hate them. But they just aren't My type of creepy to display.

 

[xxScorpion64xx]

Like them, I've had a clown in my haunt but this year I'm upping the ante and doing a half clown/half doll theme. You can always count on a clown creeping out several people.

 

[dawnski]

Scorpion64, clowns and dolls, are you trying to kill me?

 

[xxScorpion64xx]

Scorpion64, clowns and dolls, are you trying to kill me?

Lol, exacty the reaction I was looking for this year dawnski!!!

 

[Jenn&MattFromPA]

I think friendly clowns are alright, but there's something so *menacing* about scary clowns. I can't say I hate them, but I do give them a wide berth! I think it has to do with us knowing that clowns are more real than pretend monsters or aliens - you can't completely convince yourself that clowns are just 'pretend', you know?

 

[kuroneko]

I hate clowns... Not scared of them, I just don't like them. I can see why people love and fear them, but I don't use them in my haunt.
I did just receive clown heads in a box of doll parts and thought "hey, two for one!" since people are usually afraid of dolls and clowns. So, I may use those at some point, but I probably won't go expand into clowns fully.

 

[HalloGeekHalfrican]

It's all about the setting. Clowns at the circus are fun. Clowns in Derry, Maine sewers are terrifying.

 

[Madame Leota]

I find circus clowns and birthday party clowns to be annoying as hell but not particularly scary. The deliberately scary clown props and costumes just seem as though they're trying too hard.

 

[Wolfenhowie]

I worked at a pro haunt for 5 years and never found clowns scary at all. Last year I decided to "clown-out". It was THE MOST FUN I EVER HAD IN COSTUME. With a clown you can go from sweet to psycho in an instant. Nothing is out of bounds, it is expected. Tastefully, of course.

 

[Zombastic]

That's how I felt when I first dressed up as a clown. I was more into it than anything else I'd been.
I was laughing wickedly and dancing all around.
I had a little horn that I would honk and I would say "Hey kid. Wanna play?"
You can really get into the character.

 

[boo who?]

Never found clowns frightening OR funny. Not a fan. That being said, I will be dressing as an Evil Clown this year since it seems to scare the most people.

 

[ichasiris]

My theme last year was clowns, and while I am more just indifferent to them, most of my guests were less than thrilled, lol. They all survived though!

I used to dislike clowns as a kid, but yeah, no strong feelings one way or another, I just know the are great for Halloween and scaring/creepy purposes.

 

[kakugori]

I don't find clowns scary, and I also don't like them. I don't think they have a place at Halloween. A big part of this feeling comes from learning about the history and development of the modern clown look, and its origins in blackface and minstrel shows. I see that, and the loss of interest and cultural cues in the "goofy" clown, and I can't help but see a bigger cultural problem in the transition to "scary" clowns. I don't think most people who use clowns as part of their Halloween thing have bad intentions, but I will never NOT think about the implications. It's a difficult thing to explain, and most people want to get defensive of their choice to dress as a clown, so I usually don't even bring it up.