Many of the best horror movies play on the audience’s fear of the unknown. Films like Alien, for example, put our heroes against a strange foe with horrifying abilities we don’t understand until much later. Others target a specific phobia, and few are as widely explored in TV and cinema as clowns.
The fear of clowns is broadly called coulrophobia, and it’s a fear Hollywood has covered in detail over the years. Coulrophobia is also the focal point of dozens of B-movies, particularly in the horror genre. Many movies portray their clowns as mindless killers, but others introduce a supernatural twist, suggesting that clowns possess powers beyond our understanding.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space is a classic 80s example of the latter, where those clown-like creatures are literally aliens. Others take a more grounded approach, where a clown could just be a regular person wearing a mask or makeup, though we have no idea what their intentions are. A clown’s bag of tricks can become a treasure trove of harmless gags or deadly tools, and it’s usually the latter in the horror genre.
We’re covering some particularly scary horror movies featuring clowns on this list. Some are more grounded in reality, while others lean into dark comedy with a supernatural spin. Whether you’re a newcomer to clown movies or saw It and are left wanting more, here’s a selection of horror titles with clowns you may want to avoid if clowns make you nervous.
10
Stitches (2012)
Many of the best clown movies suggest that they have supernatural abilities. Stitches does precisely that, starring Ross Noble as Stitches, a clown who’s returned from the dead for revenge after dying at a kid’s party.
Years have passed, and Stitches returns when these kids have grown up and are at a house party. He uses party tricks alongside other bizarre tools to attack his foes and even eats a victim’s brain with an ice cream scoop.
Many of the deaths in Stitches are played for laughs as it’s ultimately a clown-themed dark comedy. Nevertheless, it’s an uncomfortable watch if you’re afraid of clowns, and it has some creative ideas that expand the supernatural lore of clowns.
9
House Of 1000 Corpses (2003)
House of 1000 Corpses is a wild horror movie directed by Rob Zombie. The movie rates low on the list because the clown does not feature prominently. Still, Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig) is an iconic clown character in the genre, and it wouldn’t be right not to include him.
Spaulding runs a roadside attraction called Captain Spaulding’s Museum of Monsters & Madmen. The location features a ‘murder ride’ that draws the attention of a group of young people, prompting them to explore the local legend of Dr Satan.
Spaulding gives the group directions, but they soon encounter a twisted family and may face a fate worse than death. Captain Spaulding features in House of 1000 Corpses and has a more prevalent role in The Devil’s Rejects and 3 From Hell, which continue the story.
8
31 (2016)
Similar to House of 1000 Corpses, 31 isn’t specifically a clown movie, though it does feature them. 31 is another Rob Zombie movie about a group of carnival workers who are kidnapped and forced to play a deadly game in a secluded facility.
The group must survive the night, while psychopaths and murderers try to kill them. The movie makes the list for a pair of chainsaw-wielding clowns with a taste for bloodshed. As you’d expect from a Rob Zombie movie, the encounter is violent, bloody, and particularly scary as a chainsaw doesn’t kill quickly.
Another reason the clowns in 31 are so chilling is that we know they are sadistic. It’s heavily implied that the clowns do unspeakable things to their victims and that anything goes inside this ‘private hell’ the group is trapped inside.
7
The Jack In The Box (2019)
The Jack in the Box is an underrated supernatural horror movie offering a unique spin on clowns. At the start of the movie, we see a man uncovering a strange, ornate box with a lever. He takes it home and winds the handle with grave consequences.
The jack-in-the-box eventually finds its way to a local museum. Casey (Ethan Taylor) has just started working there and finds the box in storage. He winds it, unwittingly releasing whatever is inside. The box contains far more than just a creepy figurine, and we see a terrifying clown-like entity stalking the museum halls.
The Jack in the Box is full of plenty of jump scares as Casey starts to research the box’s origins and what was trapped inside. The clown creature is genuinely frightening, and while the movie tells a story horror fans have seen countless times before, it’s unsettling if you’re scared of clowns.
6
Circus Kane (2017)
Some audiences describe Circus Kane as ‘Saw with clowns.’ While that’s a somewhat fair comparison, the movie arguably does enough to stand on its own merit. The story is about a mysterious circus master who invites social media influencers to a haunted house attraction with a cash prize.
It doesn’t take long for the group to realize that the house isn’t full of regular scares and that their lives are in danger. Balthazar Kane (Tim Abell) has created elaborate circus-themed traps for the contestants to face, and they quickly realize that this unique attraction may just claim their lives.
Circus Kane is comparably low-budget compared to some movies on this list. Still, the film offers some great scares and some particularly graphic deaths as we learn more about the haunted house’s eccentric owner.
5
Haunt (2019)
Haunt is a disturbing slasher horror directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, who also produced A Quiet Place. A group of friends stumbles upon a haunted house roadside attraction on Halloween night. They are promised an evening of unforgettable scares, but quickly get more than they bargained for.
The group is made to sign a waiver before they enter and even give up their phones. The attraction seems quite normal for a haunted house at first, but the scenes quickly become more extreme. It doesn’t take long for the group to realize the attraction is full of masked killers, and they left their only way to call for help at the door.
Haunt makes the list because one of the killers wears a clown mask alongside a devil, a ghost, and a witch. The movie boasts several disturbing scenes, the special effects hold up well, and the group isn’t just mindless fodder.
4
Terrifier (2016)
Terrifier premiered in 2016, introducing audiences to Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton). It kickstarted an entire franchise, with the fourth movie scheduled for release in 2026.
The original Terrifier stars Tara (Jenna Kanell) and Victoria (Samantha Scaffidi). It’s Halloween night, and the two draw unwanted attention from Art the Clown. He’s creepy, but almost seems playful at first. What the women don’t realize is that Art is a sadistic killer and dispatches his victims in gruesome ways.
Art is such a disturbing antagonist because he is unpredictable. He’s also mostly silent, relying on expressions and exaggerated gestures. Terrifier relies heavily on practical effects, so the gory scenes feel much more explicit and grounded. It’s a brutal film that cements Art as an unforgettable character in the genre to be feared and respected.
3
Clown (2014)
Clown is a remarkable title on this list because it approaches clown movie tropes from a unique position. A devoted father knows his son wants a clown at his birthday party, but the arrangements fall through. He finds a mysterious clown costume and wears it, but events take a dark turn after the party.
Kent (Andy Powers) is shocked to realize he cannot take off the clown costume. His wife, Meg (Laura Allen), tries to help, but the outfit seems fused to Kent’s skin, and removing it is extraordinarily painful. They seek medical intervention, but their troubles are far from over.
Clown explores the family’s struggles to remove the costume and the toll it takes on Kent. The film also explains the suit’s origins through a particularly chilling body horror where you can’t help but feel for the main characters.
2
Hell House LLC (2015)
Hell House LLC is arguably one of the best found-footage horror movies featuring clowns, and it started an entire franchise. The movie follows a group of friends led by Alex Taylor (Danny Bellini). He has grand plans to set up a haunted house attraction called Hell House in the run-down Abaddon Hotel.
Unfortunately for Alex and his crew, the Abaddon has a dark past. It’s deserted, but the team starts to notice unexplained occurrences that only escalate as the grand opening of Hell House draws closer.
Hell House LLC makes the list thanks to several terrifying clown mannequins at the center of many scares in the movie. Those clowns are also part of the overarching Hell House story that spans multiple movies. Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor also features the clowns in a particularly scary haunted house movie.
1
It (2017)
It is a terrifying adaptation of a Stephen King story that attracted audiences to theaters in droves in 2017. The movie stars a group of kids who call themselves the Losers’ Club. They live in the town of Derry, which is home to a frightening supernatural entity.
That entity is Pennywise. He’s a terrifying clown-like creature who thrives on fear. Pennywise can assault his victims’ minds as well as attack in the real world, and he’s a particularly scary villain because audiences never truly know what he’s capable of.
It is packed full of high-budget scares, and it’s clear that Bill Skarsgård is having a great time playing the legendary clown. The special effects are exceptional, and the clever camera tricks make for some mind-bending scenes you won’t find elsewhere. The story of the Losers’ Club concludes in It: Chapter Two, and the movies remain among the greatest clown films on the silver screen.