Scary clown movies operate in a specific space of peoples’ fears. Coulrophobia, the fear of clowns, is a well-known phobia for anyone who has watched viral videos of hatchet-swinging clowns or who has had a bad experience at a childhood birthday party. In the horror movie genre, clowns can be slasher villains, otherworldly monsters, or disguises for something far worse. There will always be an inherent comedy to scary clown movies but that doesn’t mean they’re not filled with spine-tingling horror.
Clowns are a reliable go-to when it comes to horror movie villains, and the industry has produced more than its fair share over the decades. From mild-painted pranksters to bloodthirsty beasts with big red noses, Halloween is the perfect time of year to unleash these creepy characters onto the screen, and the best scary clown movies will chill even the most seasoned horror fan to the bone.
12 Clownhouse (1989)
- DVD available for purchase on Amazon
From Victor Salva, the mind behind Jeepers Creepers, Clownhouse is a scary clown movie that turns a trip to the circus into a nightmare. Though it has very little in the way of guts and gore, Clownhouse is still full of twisted carnie carnage, as a trio of escaped psychiatric hospital patients murder a troupe of clowns, steal their costumes, and stalk three young brothers staying home alone. The movie's suspense is positively palpable, and at times, it can be outright uncomfortable to watch. In a case of less is more, Clownhouse certainly has notes of John Carpenter's Halloween, albeit with a much more flamboyant exterior.
11 Amusement (2008)
- Rent on Amazon Video or Apple TV
From Creepshow to Trick r' Treat, anthology horror movies are a time-honored tradition for spooky season, and 2008's slasher Amusement concerns a trio of young women who are stalked by a cackling creep who favors a terrifying clown costume. The use of traditional slasher tropes and themes from urban legends further sells the extremely eerie atmosphere and makes Amusement one of the best scary clown movies. What makes this clown particularly unsettling, apart from his fiendish laugh, is how he deliberately takes his time. The killer has a habit of waiting somewhere in the shadows or off-screen, building suspense constantly.
10 Gingerclown (2013)
- Rent on Amazon Video or Apple TV
Gingerclown is strange, even for the subgenre scary clown movies. Monster movies are a Halloween staple, and the creatures and titular clown that inhabit this freaky amusement park are the reason to watch. This Hungarian film has a cast filled with horror alumni, including Lance Henriksen, Brad Dourif, and Tim Curry, as the latter returns to his clownish roots in the role of the titular Gingerclown. Impressive creature effects and excellent voice acting from these horror actors make for an engaging and fun watch. The movie is a bit messy but to say it isn't entertaining would certainly be untrue.
9 The Clown At Midnight (1999)
- Stream on fuboTV and Freevee
Plot-wise, The Clown at Midnight takes much more inspiration from dramas like The Phantom of the Opera than most scary clown movies. Mirroring the plot of Pagliacci, a murderous clown begins to pick off of an opera company one by one. The fusion of murder mystery and creepy slasher film lends the film a different sort of flow than most horror fans might be used to, but the creep factor is still there. The Clown at Midnight has a villain in the skulking style akin to Friday the 13th but within an artistic setting. It's an eccentric alternative to the standard masked-murderer fare.
8 31 (2016)
- Stream on Prime Video
A clown wielding a sharp instrument in a dark environment is the setup for various creepy clown stories told around Halloween. A movie from the legendary Rob Zombie, 31 is a grisly, grindhouse version of scary clown movies that drips with the director's patented style of slaughter. On Halloween night, a group of carnival workers are kidnapped and thrown into a deadly game hosted by a cult of ultraviolent aristocrats, led by Malcolm McDowell's Father Napoleon-Horatio-Silas Murder and his team of killer clowns. The carnies only have to survive the night in order to be set free, a task not easily accomplished with chainsaw-wielding clowns lurking around the grounds.
7 Clown (2014)
- Stream on Roku and Freevee
Horror films about becoming a monster are usually horrific or tragic and can be very difficult to watch, doubly so for scary clown movies. The Eli Roth-produced Clown delivers on exactly that premise when loving father Kent (Andy Powers) puts on a cursed clown costume and slowly starts turning into a child-eating monster. Needless to say, it's a healthy helping of body horror with a colorful twist. The visuals and kills bring in the unwavering shock factor to the film, but it's Powers' performance as Kent, and his turn from a doting family man to a monstrous killer clown makes this one of the best scary clown movies.
6 Terrifier (2016)
- Stream on fuboTV
Terrifier is an incredibly gory horror movie, even when compared to other bloody scary clown movies. Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) is a silent, violence-prone monster who delights in torturing and killing unsuspecting victims. Terrifier is not particularly interested in a story-driven plot and is instead content to revel in legitimately shocking deaths and gore. Thornton’s performance is iconic, as Art the Clown is equal parts terrifying and absurd, and it’s whiplash-inducing every time the slasher villain strikes a laugh-worthy pose before suddenly dismembering someone. Terrifier is a throwback to '80s slashers and grindhouse films, and it pays homage perfectly while managing to up the brutality.
5 Stitches (2012)
- Stream on Prime Video
The best scary clown movies incorporate a healthy dose of humor, and Stitches is a British horror-comedy that truly understands what the slasher genre is all about. To say the movie is way over-the-top in of kills and comedy is an understatement, but that's precisely the point. Much like Happy Death Day or Scream, Stithces is perfect for viewers wanting laughs as well as screams on Halloween. With the ridiculous antics of the zombie clowns, all seriousness flows right down the tubes.
4 The Jack In The Box (2019)
- Stream on Prime Video or Peacock
England produces their fair share of scary clown movies, including jumpscare-heavy The Jack in the Box. Viewers shouldn't be misled by the occasional CGI hiccups when the plot itself brings a terrifyingly ominous tone. In particular, this sinister slasher movie has a creepy toy with a deadly secret. Since scares in slasher movies function like the titular toy, viewers should definitely consider adding this film to their Halloween binge-fests. The Jack-in-the-Box in question is actually an ancient demon locked away in a mechanical prison. Jack is similar to Hellraiser's best Cenobites, but with a much more voracious appetite.
3 Haunt (2019)
- Stream on Prime Video or Hulu
Haunt fits in both the scary clown movies mold and the haunted house movies mold. The 2019 film follows a group of partygoers on Halloween night who stumble across a haunted house attraction. Inside, they come face-to-face with a trio of masked performers set on murdering the visitors. The three killers, only known as Ghost, Witch, and Clown use the haunted house as a guise to lure the unsuspecting teens to their deaths. The scares and atmosphere are so well created that the familiar plot beats still feel fresh. Believably frightened acting from the cast and the excellent set design of the haunted house make Haunt stand above its fellows.
