10 Movies With Killer Clowns That Aren’t Scary At All

Even perfectly comical, run-of-the-mill clowns are at least a little unnerving. There’s something about the odd proportions, exaggerated make-up, and maniacal grin that automatically sets teeth on edge. Combine this cartoonish appearance with the psychopathic urge to kill, and nightmares are almost inevitable.

Many great films — particularly in the horror genre — have taken advantage of the frightening image that is the blood-soaked circus clown. Countless iconic and horrifying cinematic clowns have had a long-lasting impact on how audiences imagine even the most kid-friendly carnival dweller. Despite this solid reputation, issues with narrative choices and special effects mean that plenty of on-screen killer clowns are, nonetheless, underwhelming.

10 Gingerclown

Considering that Tim Curry is renowned for his performance as Pennywise The Clown — the most famous form of It‘s shapeshifting antagonist—his role as Gingerclown should have been spectacularly scary. Along with an assortment of other monsters, this foul-mouthed, clownish creature lives in a decrepit amusement park and hunts any high school kids who dare to enter.

Curry’s voice work is unsurprisingly great, and the puppet used to portray Gingerclown is quite creepy, but the overall character is lacking in fear-factor. Inspired by ’80s nostalgia, the 2013 film Gingerclown is full of cliches that undercut its capacity for genuinely frightening moments.

9 Cabin In The Woods

The 2011 film Cabin In The Woods features every kind of horror-movie villain imaginable, including monsters and mythical beings. With his poofy hair, bright face paint, and red nose, the clown is purposefully reminiscent of every cinematic clown cliche.

While this makes him frightening in his own right, he is nevertheless a minor character within an extensive cast of more terrifying killers. The clown’s main scene is brief and absent of any real tension, depicting a couple of sudden, chaotic kills that are relatively minor, compared to others.

8 Stitches

Starring comedian Ross Noble as the titular clown, Stitches, this 2012 slasher has some interesting kills and surprising gore. The film follows Stitches, a hireable clown who is accidentally killed at a children’s birthday party and rises from the dead to exact revenge.

Light and a little trashy, Stitches doesn’t take itself too seriously. As a viewer, this makes it difficult to really fear the clown himself, although his kills are impressively bloody. Stitches is a wacky and crass character who is unlikely to leave much of an impression on viewers – at least as far as scares are concerned.

7 Shakes The Clown

Shakes The Clown is a 1998 black comedy about a talented but dysfunctional birthday clown by the name of Shakes. One of the strangest elements of the film is just how interested in clowns it proves to be, centering an entire cohort of clowns in its unusual narrative.

Shakes is framed for murder by a fellow clown, Binky, with whom he has a professional rivalry. Binky is dangerous and obnoxiously evil, but the film’s comedic tone takes the fear out of the viewing experience. Binky is an entertaining and effective villain, but he won’t keep audiences up at night.

6 Spawn

Fans of the comic book character, Spawn, will be familiar with this 1997 live-action film based on the antihero’s origin story. Spawn follows a murdered U.S. marine who, in an effort to be resurrected and reunited with his family, makes a deal with one of the rulers of Hell. In the mortal world, Spawn is accompanied by an unpleasant and creepy demon named Violator, who is often disguised as a character known as The Clown.

Though expertly portrayed by John Leguizamo, The Clown is not exactly frightening. The green gas that emanates from him whenever he farts gives a good indication of why this character is often perceived as silly, rather than threatening.

5 Killer Klowns From Outer Space

Popcorn shotguns, cotton candy cocoons, and bloodhound balloon animals are just some of the weapons wielded by the aliens that appear in Killer Klowns From Outer Space. These antagonists invade a small, nondescript town and wreak havoc on its inhabitants. They dress in colorful clown attire and bare clownish makeup, but appear warped and predatory, with fang-like teeth and cartoonishly large heads.

This might sound frightening, but the 1988 horror-comedy cult classic does little to build actual suspense or unease, preferring to be unapologetically zany and fun instead.

4 Killjoy

Inspiring four sequels, the original 2000 film Killjoy debuts a memorable version of the killer clown archetype. Although his exact origins remain a mystery throughout the film, Killjoy is a demon with various supernatural abilities and a teleporting ice cream truck.

The demonic being gleefully embarks on a murderous rampage when summoned by Michael, who wishes to be rid of the people who bully and eventually murder him. Despite cheap special effects, Killjoy’s gnarled, wrinkled face is certainly unpleasant. Unfortunately, his tame and almost childish kills ultimately undermine his villainy.

3 Zombieland

This 2009 post-apocalyptic comedy follows Columbus, a college student, as he and an eclectic group of survivors band together to find a safe place in zombie-ridden America. Columbus’ fear of clowns is established early on in Zombieland, and the clown zombie he comes up against is the embodiment of his worst nightmares.

Wounded, mutilated, and spewing blood onto a polka dot bow tie, the clown zombie is as gruesome as audiences would expect. Unlike most killer clowns, however, it is easy to defeat and not really scary.

2 Carnival Of Souls

Released in 1998, Carnival of Souls is loosely based on the 1962 independent film of the same name. While some elements of the story are reminiscent of Herk Harvey’s cult classic, the antagonistic carnival clown is invented for the remake. The clown, a man named Louris Seagram, stalks the protagonist, Alex Grant, 20 years after she witnessed him murder her mother.

Portrayed with suitable creepiness by comedian Larry Miller, Seagram would be considerably more threatening if his interactions with Alex weren’t so immaterial. The film is full of dream sequences and lacking in actual scares.

1 Amusement

Credited as “The Laugh,” the shapeshifting killer in 2008’s Amusement only appears as a clown for a short portion of the film. He uses an elongated, eyeless clown mask to successfully stalk and attack one of his three primary victims, with whom he has an ongoing grudge.

These scenes could have been The Laugh’s most memorable and terrifying, but they suffer from extreme predictability. The sequence essentially follows the well-known urban legend of the clown statue and the babysitter, meaning that every move made by The Laugh is foreseeable by the audience.

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