Why Clowns Scare the Hell Out of Us — Plus All About Pennywise in the Trailer for a New ‘It’ Documentary

Just where is Ronald McDonald? Think about it. That clown with his jovial, good guy act that lured us into buying those billions of burgers served, has vanished. Nowhere to be seen. Where’s he hiding? What dark plan is he hatching? You see, that’s the state of the clown in today’s society, and what someone like Stephen King has done to us with It‘s Pennywise the clown. And it’s only going to get worse from here.

Pennywise: The Story of IT is a new feature-length documentary looking back at the iconic 1990 TV miniseries and featuring interviews with over 40 people, including Tim Curry who played the evil clown and terrified a generation of viewers. It’s supposed to explore the legacy of the show as well as the cultural impact of Pennywise, and we get a taste of that in the just-released extended trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uONgK8_vu0

Truth is, people like King have made us distrustful of our modern day court jesters; those poor animal-from-balloon makers who were put here to do nothing more than to make us laugh. Except maybe for real-life serial killer John Wayne Gacy, who used to dress up like a clown to entertain children while he was taking the lives of over 30 adults. Or the psychosis of the Joker and Harley Quinn, who have tormented Batman and Gotham City for decades. Or, in recent years, those clowns hanging out under street lights on city streets or roaming around cemeteries. Or, again, Pennywise, the source of nightmares created by King in his novel It, which has been adapted into a ’90s TV miniseries and two feature films, the second of which is reaching theaters on September 6.

You know, now that we’re thinking about it, maybe they are kind of creepy. To find out the truth about clowns in TV, films and real-life, just scroll down!