Will Terrifier 3 spark the next killer clown craze?

Terrifier 3 is currently taking the box office by storm, bringing in over $55 million worldwide so far, and that success could have far-reaching consequences for the future of horror.

Stephen Follows is author of The Horror Movie Report, a comprehensive analysis of the horror genre spanning over 400 pages. Here he explains how and why killer clowns are having a resurgence.

Damien Leone’s slasher masterpiece Terrifier 3 has once again thrust Art the Clown into the spotlight, solidifying his place as one of modern horror’s most terrifying antagonists.

With audiences flocking to cinemas, it’s worth asking: is Art about to spark the next killer clown craze?

Why killer clowns are now big business

Clowns have a long, unsettling history in horror. While the first instance of a clown villain can be traced back to the 1920s film He Who Gets Slapped, it wasn’t until the 1980s that clowns truly became a symbol of terror, thanks in part to John Wayne Gacy’s crimes and films like Poltergeist and Killer Klowns from Outer Space.

However, it was Stephen King’s It in 1990 that cemented the trope, making Pennywise the quintessential nightmare-inducing clown.

Since then, clowns have been a recurring staple in horror, their exaggerated features and unpredictable behavior giving filmmakers endless material to explore.

Stephen Follows

Research shows that fear of clowns is surprisingly common. Studies have found that over 50% of adults report feeling uneasy or frightened by clowns, a phenomenon known as coulrophobia.

This fear is deeply ingrained in the uncanny valley effect – the idea that clowns, with their distorted human features, trigger a primal sense of danger. It’s no wonder, then, that films like Terrifier 3 have tapped into this fear so successfully.

According to the latest Horror Movie Report, clowns have appeared in horror films with increasing frequency, with the 2000s and 2010s seeing a significant surge thanks to the likes of Killjoy, House of Fears, Stitches, Clown, 31, and the two blockbuster It movies.

If Terrifier 3‘s performance is any indication, we may be entering another phase where clowns reign supreme in horror. With Art the Clown leading the charge, the stage is set for a new era of killer clowns to haunt our nightmares.

You can read more about horror films analyzed through the lens of data at HorrorMovieReport.com, where you can also purchase a copy of Stephen’s book.

For more scary stuff on Dexerto, check out our Terror-Tober lineup, as well as every Stephen King movie coming out in 2025.