10 Top Movies Featuring Psychopathic Clowns!

Seeing a clown usually means fun times and laughter. Their joyful and friendly demeanor usually draws us in, making us want to stay close or even embrace them. But what if the clown you encounter has sinister intentions, delighting in causing pain and fear, would you still want to be near them?

The concept of psychopathic clowns has caught the attention of filmmakers around the world. Many are racing to create stories about these menacing clowns, raising our awareness that not all clowns are friendly and harmless. Here’s a list of movies featuring sinister and terrifying psychopathic clowns!

1. It

In a summer that was supposed to be filled with fun and laughter, seven friends—Bill (Jaeden Lieberher), Ben (Jeremy Ray Taylor), Beverly (Sophia Lillis), Richie (Finn Wolfhard), Stanley (Wyatt Oleff), Mike (Chosen Jacobs), and Eddie (Jack Dylan Grazer)—come together as The Losers Club.

Rather than enjoying games and leisure to pass the summer days, they find themselves plunged into a quest to find Bill's lost brother. It's believed he has been abducted by the sinister clown, Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård), who appears periodically. This evil entity can manifest as a dancing clown, becoming a source of sheer terror for each member of The Losers Club.

2. Joker

Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) earns his living as a party clown but is frequently subjected to bullying, unable to defend himself. Due to a condition, he often responds with uncontrollable laughter. Arthur aspires to be a comedian, but his attempts fail, leading to a further decline in his already fragile state.

Arthur becomes an object of ridicule in the town, sinking him deeper into depression. Eventually, he can no longer suppress his anger and transforms from a friendly, entertaining clown into a terrifying criminal mastermind in Gotham City. Now, multiple factions are determined to halt his sinister deeds.

3. Terrifier

Tara (Jenna Kanell) and Dawn (Catherine Corcoran) are good friends who decide to grab a pizza on Halloween. Along the way, they encounter the menacing Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton), who unnerves them with his persistent, creepy approaches.

The fear gripping Tara becomes reality as she and Dawn are chased, captured, and drugged by Art. Upon regaining consciousness, Tara is met with the gruesome sight of Art dissecting Dawn’s body. Desperate and horrified, Tara struggles to free herself from the clutches of Art the Clown.

4. To Catch A Killer

Detective Joseph R. Kozenczak (Michael Riley) is determined to identify the individual responsible for a string of murders. He stumbles upon some clues from the latest victim, leading him to suspect a well-known public figure, John Wayne Gacy (Brian Dennehy), as the assailant, even though the evidence is thin.

John is regarded as a reputable citizen in Des Plaines, further complicating the investigation. However, after persistent pursuit, it's conclusively proven that John Wayne Gacy is the criminal behind the deaths of 33 teenage boys. He earns the moniker of the killer clown and is sentenced to death for his heinous crimes.

5. 31

Charly (Sheri Moon Zombie), Venus (Meg Foster), Panda (Lawrence Hilton-James), Levon (Kevin Jackson), and Roscoe (Jeff Daniel Phillips) are employees at a carnival. Regrettably, during a stroll in the countryside, they are abducted by individuals disguised as clowns and scarecrows.

They find themselves in a spacious, trap-filled room, forced to participate in a lethal game titled '31'. Over the ensuing 12 hours, they must combat a relentless onslaught of murderous maniacs in a battle for survival. Will they make it out alive?

6. Haunt

Roommates Harper (Katie Stevens) and Bailey (Lauryn McClain), along with their friends, receive invitations to a Halloween party where they meet Nathan (Will Brittain) and Evan (Andrew Caldwell).

Choosing to venture into a haunted house together, they soon find themselves separated and ensnared in a hazardous game within its spooky confines. Here, numerous individuals, disguised as clowns, target Harper and Bailey. As they struggle to defend themselves, they uncover the shocking truth: their attackers are part of a sinister cult.

7. Clown

Kent McCoy (Andy Powers) is a devoted father and husband who loves his family. Wishing to celebrate his son Jack's (Christian Distefano) birthday, he is left in a bind when the clown he booked cancels last minute. Eager not to let his son down, Kent finds an old clown costume in the basement and decides to wear it to keep the party spirit alive.

Unexpectedly, once the party ends, Kent finds himself unable to remove the costume. He even has to attend work still clad in the clown outfit, and every attempt to remove it seems to make it adhere even more tightly. Gradually, the costume seems to merge with Kent’s very being, leading to a series of bizarre behaviors.

8. Stitches

Richard Grindle (Ross Noble) is a clown by profession, known as Stitches. When he attempts to entertain at a birthday bash for a young boy, Tommy (Tommy Knight), he faces ridicule and torment from the attending children, ultimately leading to his accidental death at their hands.

Years pass, and a 16-year-old Tommy continues to be haunted by the visage of Stitches, the clown's nightmare seemingly stuck in his memory. As time unfolds, the haunting images of the clown transform from mere nightmarish visions to a tangible, terrifying reality. Unbeknownst to Tommy, Stitches had never truly died, his existence sustained by the mysterious cult he was a part of.

9. The Clown at Midnight

Decades prior, famed opera singer Lorraine Sedgewick (Vicki Marentette) met a tragic end, murdered in her own dressing room by Lorenzo Orsini (Jonathan Barrett). This gruesome event led to the shuttering of the opera house where she performed.

Driven by a sense of restoration, Lorraine's daughter Kate (Sarah Lassez) embarks on a journey to revive the once-thriving building. However, as restoration efforts commence, a series of unsettling and unexplained events unfold within the opera house.

What started as seemingly harmless pranks soon evolve into menacing threats of violence from a mysterious figure dressed as a clown. It’s up to Kate and her friends to uncover the identity of this murderous clown.

10. 100 Tears

Gurdy (Jack Amos), a renowned yet solitary circus clown, finds himself unjustly blamed for a crime he didn’t commit. Fueled by the pain from the false accusations, he seeks vengeance against those who wronged him, embarking on a murderous spree.

As Gurdy delves deeper into his spree, a dark satisfaction creeps over him, unleashing a relentless string of malevolent deeds and earning him a reputation as a monstrous murderer in urban legend. Eventually, he abducts two tabloid reporters who are on his trail, subjecting them to a grim fate by his own hands.

The clown characters we've discussed are far from the amusing figures we usually imagine, aren't they? It's understandable why some people have a fear of clowns, a condition called Coulrophobia, as they find nothing humorous about them.

However, if clowns don't scare you and you're in the mood for some thrilling entertainment and a dash of excitement, then these movie recommendations might be just what you're looking for. Enjoy the shows!