Coulrophobia - Fear of Clowns. A strange but common phobia; to be afraid of entertainers that wear funny clothes, have painted faces and make people laugh by performing silly tricks and behaving in a silly manner. Coulrophobia had been known to cause severe terror, strong senses of panic and in some cases intense nausea in sufferers. Phobias usually though are often deep rooted psychological responses tied to traumatic events in someone’s past but there can’t be that many people who have experienced real life traumas involving clowns, can there? From jokers to jesters, harlequins to mimes, fools have been around for centuries, so why are so many people afraid of clowns? Is it down to the sense of unease that comes from not being able to read the expressions behind their make up? Is it because of their unpredictability? Or is it due to how they’ve been portrayed in popular culture? I’ve been to Halloween Scream Parks and watched full grown men scream like girls when chased by clowns, this entertains me somewhat. How can a character that is meant to bring laughter, often come across so sinister?
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