Clowns, with their mask-like makeup and overly cheerful demeanors, have often been the subject of nightmares. From Pennywise to John Wayne Gacy, evil clowns are a lot more prevalent in modern times than the happy go lucky ones. Especially since 2016, when viral videos of creepy clowns causing all kinds of chaos took over the internet. How has a childhood memory become so twisted in the adult brain? And have clowns ever been fun, or have they always caused fear and paranoia in their victims? Let’s talk about it.