CNN Examines How Clowns Became Creepy

ELAM (voice-over): “They (clowns) have become some of our most widely used popular villains. From Stephen King’s ‘It,’ to the horror classic, 'Poltergeist,' people love to be scared of clowns. Psychotherapist John Tsilimparis explains the fascination.”
TSILIMPARIS: “You might say the painted expression of a clown makes it difficult to gauge what that person’s emotions are, what the motives are.”
ELAM: “But now, the fears have become a reality. One sleepy southern California town turned into a media hot spot after one couples’ photography project went viral in October.”
GRUBBS: “They can quickly grow from a legal project, a photography project, to an urban legend.”
ELAM: “As Sergeant Joe Grubbs at the Bakersfield Police Department describes, the photos of a man dressed in clown posing around the small town of Wasko sent social media ablaze leading to a number of copycat pranks in neighboring towns. Meanwhile, the real Wasko clown became a local celebrity. (Cheering) The events in and around Wasko inspired similar social media pranks in New Mexico and Florida, as shown in this video taken in Jacksonville. Fueled my social media, the story has taken a dark turn as it spreads worldwide. French police have arrested multiple people dressed in clown costumes, some carrying deadly weapons, with others actually assaulting independent people. But why clowns? Tsilimparis says it all comes down to an element of mistrust.”
TSILIMPARIS: “There’s the quick movement and bright colors and put all of that together and, again, I don’t know who that person is. That brings up fear.”
ELAM: “If the trend continues, the coulrophobia aka fear of clowns may claim more victims.”