The Creepy Clown Craze

Scary Clowns Since the '70s, the "evil clown" has been a staple in American pop culture. (AP Photo)

AP Photo

Freaky stock photo clowns Here are slightly disturbing stock photos you can use in your next powerpoint presentation. (Thinkstock)

Thinkstock

Freaky stock photo clowns Here are slightly disturbing stock photos you can use in your next powerpoint presentation. (Thinkstock)

Thinkstock

Freaky stock photo clowns Here are three slightly disturbing stock photos you can use in your next powerpoint presentation. (Thinkstock)

Thinkstock

Nice Clowns Tim Fisher known as "Shutterbug" the clown, performs at the Shrine Circus in Hamburg, N.Y., Friday, March 15, 2013. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

AP Photo/David Duprey

Nice Clowns Clown Andrey Laduda performs during a press conference at the Centro Cultural Teatro in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 3, 2014. Laduda and other clowns attended the press conference to promote their show "Slava's Snowshow." (AP Photo/Sean Havey)

AP Photo/Sean Havey

Nice Clowns Mexican clown Bombin Bombochas poses for a portrait at an international clown convention in Mexico City, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)

AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills

Nice Clowns Mexican clown Chuponcito ZigZag poses for a portrait at the 17th International Clown Convention in Mexico City. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)

AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills

Nice Clowns Clowns applaud as they gather before marching in Lima, Peru, Saturday, May 25, 2013. Hundreds of professional clowns dressed in colorful costumes, wigs and face paint marched through the streets of Lima to celebrate Peruvian Clown Day. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

AP Photo/Martin Mejia

Scary Clowns Horror movies such as "Poltergeist," "It," "Clownhouse" and "Saw," all portray clowns as malevolent. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images

Scary Clowns Tenor Salvatore Licitra sings the role of Canio in Leoncavallo's "Pagliacci." In the opera, the main character, murders his cheating wife on stage during a performance. (AP Photo/Stephen Chernin)

AP Photo/Stephen Chernin

Scary Clowns A man dressed as a zombie clown, poses during the 5th Zombie Parade in Brussels on Saturday, April 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Yves Logghe)

AP Photo/Yves Logghe

Scary Clowns Since the '70's, the "evil clown" has been a staple in American pop culture. (Photo by Barry Brecheisen/Invision/AP)

Photo by Barry Brecheisen/Invision/AP

Scary Clowns "Spooktacular" nominee Melissa Schillinger from Vermont, appears onstage dressed as a Killer Clown at "Hub Network's First Annual Halloween Bash." (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision for the Hub/AP Images)

Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision for the Hub/AP Images

Consumers Prepare For Halloween

Scary Clowns Singer Austin Mahone runs into a clown at a haunted house in Boca Raton, Florida. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images for 5 gum)

Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images for 5 gum

Scary Clowns Dressing up as a "scary clown" has become a popular Halloween costume. (Courtesy Hilary Haselton)

Courtesy Hilary Haselton

Nice Clowns Clowns dance in the Parade of Clowns as part of the sixth annual Latin American Clown Congress in Guatemala City, Tuesday, July 29, 2014. Clowns from Central America and North America have gathered for four days in the capital city to exchange ideas and attend workshops. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

AP Photo/Moises Castillo

Nice Clowns Bozo was born 50 years ago, and is now recognized as the world's most famous clown. Harmon bought the rights to the Bozo character after taking over as the voice of Bozo on children's records in the late 1940s. (AP Photo/HO)

AP Photo/HO

Nice Clowns In the 1960s, clowns became popular in the U.S., with household names such as Bozo the Clown and Ronald McDonald. (AP Photo)

AP Photo

Scary Clowns Scary clown masks are popular Halloween costumes. (Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images)

Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images

Zombie Clown The creepy clown from "Zombieland." (WTOP Screen Shot)

WTOP Screen Shot

Pennywise Tim Curry brings this Stephen King creation to life in the miniseries "It." (WTOP Screen Shot)

WTOP Screen Shot

Clown from "Poltergeist" It is still a mystery how this movie is only rated PG. (WTOP Screen Shot)(WTOP Screen Shot)

John Wayne Gacy Make-believe killer clowns are scary. Real killer clowns are terrifying. This 2003 film was about serial killer John Wayne Gacy.

Captain Spaulding Sid Haig plays this demented clown in "House of 1,000 Corpses" and "The Devil's Rejects." The character is actually named after Groucho Marx's character in the film "Animal Crackers." (WTOP Screen Shot)

WTOP Screen Shot