Example 5: "Real" Sightings of Phantom Clowns
It was probably the Gacy case and the publicity surrounding it which sparked a wave of "phantom clown" sightings in 1981. The phenomenon, as documented by Loren Coleman in Mysterious America (Boston: Faber and Faber, 1983), originated in Boston with unconfirmed reports of men dressed as clowns trying to lure children into vans. Over the course of a few days, more reports of "clown men in vans" bothering children came in, then more, and soon the sightings had spread to surrounding cities and towns. Eventually there were sightings reported in as many as 10 other states in different parts of the country. No abductions occurred, no arrests were made, indeed no evidence was ever found to substantiate any of these reports, nearly all of which had been made by children under 10 years old.Similar rumor outbreaks have occurred since the early '80s, and while "The Phantom Clowns" and "The Clown Statue" have little in common as narratives apart from a malevolent clown character, it's possible that the latter was inspired by the former.
It's also possible that it was inspired, at least in part, by various horror films made over the past several decades. The 1982 movie Poltergeist contained scenes in which a very creepy clown doll terrorizes two young children in their bedroom. Stephen King's It, a 1990 TV movie, featured a child-killing monster called "Pennywise the Dancing Clown." Demonic clowns also drove the plots of Killer Klowns from Outer Space in 1988, and Clownhouse in 1990.
Join Qfeast to read the entire story!
Sign In. It is absolutely free!
