Here at The Ringer , Megan Schuster and I have spent years ranking things like movie monsters , sharks , and dinosaurs , all of which have a reputation for terrifying people. But we’ve never had a task as daunting as putting together a list of what are arguably the single-scariest figures in pop culture: clowns. In real life, clowns are meant to entertain children at birthday parties and circuses —to spread joy with laughter.
In pop culture, however, clowns are primarily depicted as nefarious figures who torment and kill people. In fact, the biggest challenge while coming up with this ranking was trying to find good pop culture clowns. (Spoiler alert: It was slim pickings out there.
) No wonder as much as 42 percent of Americans have at least a minor case of coulrophobia. Unfortunately, this ranking will not help the public perception of clowns as nightmare fuel—this exercise even led to many sleepless nights for your intrepid bloggers. (Clown-related trauma will be brought up at my next performance review.
) Before we get to the ranking, a quick overview of the criteria: We capped the list at 30 entries, and if there were multiple interpretations of a character, they’d be roped together—also known as the Joker Clause. All right, Megan, time to send in the clowns. — Miles Surrey 30.
John Wayne Gacy Surrey: In the many years Megan and I have been doing these rankings, there’s never been an easier call to make for last place. One of America’s most notorious serial.