12 Reasons You Now Have Coulrophobia (Phobia of the Week)

You're at a circus enjoying your old-timey popcorn and watching the tightrope walkers balance high above your head. Trained animals are performing majestic tricks and then, oh. OH no. They've brought in

...THE CLOWNS.

With their grotesquely painted faces and wild hair, clowns could actually be mistaken for a minion of Lucifer and his firey dominion. They're supposed to make us smile, but their haunting laughs echo in our ears for an eternity of childhood nightmares. 

Clowns have been around since the 1500's, providing entertainment to the masses and, supposedly, delighting children around the globe. You'd think at some point they were actually funny, or at the very least, not a complete terror to look upon. 

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Hello darkness my old friend.

YEAH NO. They've always been unthinkably bad. And everyone knows it, I mean if you look at pop culture, you'll see evil clowns everywhere (uh, IT anyone?) because they're the worst.

via AHS/FXNetworks

And if you still think these circus demons are harmless, just remember infamous serial killer John Wayne Gacy, yes the one who buried all those teenage boys under his floorboards, was at one time a beloved clown named Pogo. 

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You wanna see a magic trick?

If you need more convincing then strap yourself in 'cause you're in for a carnival ride you can never get off of.

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1. Soul sucker. 

via Dave Kendall

2. Just your friendly neighborhood clown. 

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3. Smile! 

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4. No thank you.

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5. He can see into your bones.

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6. Don't wake daddy. 

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7. Open WIIIIIIIIIIDE!

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8. You're alone in the movie theater and you turn around and see IT. WYD?

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9. Give him a little push. 

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10. Are You Afraid of the Dark?

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11. For her first birthday, this little girl's got the gift of emotional scarring!

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12. After looking at all of these clowns, how would you like to stay in this motel?

via Tech-Mechanic