The evil clown, or creepy clown, also known as the killer clown if their character revolves around murder, is a subversion of the traditional comic clown character, in which the playful trope is instead depicted in a more disturbing nature through the use of horror elements and dark humor. The modern archetype of the evil clown was popularized by the DC Comics supervillain Joker starting in 1940, and again by Pennywise in Stephen King's It. The character can be seen as playing on the sense of unease felt by sufferers of coulrophobia, the fear of clowns.
Corbin Bleu Reivers is an American actor and singer. He began acting professionally in the late 1990s before rising to prominence in the late 2000s for his leading role as Chad Danforth in the High School Musical trilogy (2006–2008). Songs from the films also charted worldwide, with the song "I Don't Dance" peaking inside the Top 70 of the Billboard Hot 100. During this time, he also starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie Jump In! (2007) and the film To Write Love on Her Arms (2015). He competed in the 17th season of Dancing with the Stars.
Aftermath is a 1994 Spanish horror short film written and directed by Nacho Cerdà. It stars Pep Tosar, Jordi Tarrida, Ángel Tarris, and Xevi Collellmir. The film contains no spoken dialogue, and follows an unnamed morgue worker, played by Tosar, as he mutilates and has sex with the dead body of a woman named Marta. It is the middle installment in a thematic trilogy of short films by Cerdà, being preceded by The Awakening in 1991 and proceeded by Genesis in 1998.
Creepshow 3 is a 2006 American comedy horror film, and a sequel to Stephen King and George A. Romero's horror anthology films Creepshow (1982) and Creepshow 2 (1987). It was directed and produced by Ana Clavell and James Dudelson. The film stars Kris Allen, A. J. Bowen, Emmett McGuire and Stephanie Pettee. Like its predecessors, the film is a collection of tales of light-hearted horror: "Alice", "The Radio", "Call Girl", "The Professor's Wife", and "Haunted Dog", although there is no EC Comics angle this time around. The film was panned by critics.
William Oberst Jr. is an American stage, film and television actor of German descent. Known for his work in horror and cult films, his career includes projects in film, television and one-man-show theater performances. He first received recognition for his portrayals of icon and humorist Lewis Grizzard as performed in theatrical tours across the Southern United States, and played the 'Facebook Stalker' in the 2011 online interactive video film and Facebook app Take This Lollipop and its 2020 sequel.
Domiziano Arcangeli was an Italian actor, producer and writer best known for low-budget independent, and particularly exploitation, films.
Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies is a 2012 American action comedy horror B movie directed by Richard Schenkman, with a screenplay by Schenkman based upon the story concept of Karl Hirsch and Lauren Proctor. Produced by The Asylum, and starring Bill Oberst Jr., the film was released direct-to-video on May 29, 2012, following its May 28 theatrical premiere screening at the Telfair Museum of Art Jepson Center in Savannah, Georgia.
The ABCs of Death is a 2012 American comedy horror anthology film produced by international producers and directed by filmmakers from around the world. The film contains 26 shorts, each by different directors spanning fifteen countries, including Nacho Vigalondo, Kaare Andrews, Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett, Banjong Pisanthanakun, Ben Wheatley, Lee Hardcastle, Noboru Iguchi, Ti West, and Angela Bettis.
Slash-in-the-Box is a short horror film that was written and directed by Nick Everhart. The film was premiered at the KC Creepfest on October 28, 2011, and stars Tyler Hollinger and Elizabeth Masucci. It was selected by the director Eli Roth as a finalist in the 2011 Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights Short Film Competition and was also nominated for Best Editing in the 2011 Super Shorts International Film Festival.
Dracula Reborn is a 2012 vampire-themed direct-to-video horror film, directed and written by Patrick McManus, making his feature film directorial debut. Produced by Ray Haboush, the film stars Corey Landis, Victoria Summer, Krash Miller, Stuart Rigby and Keith Reay. It is a modernized, loosely based take on Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula, taking place in Los Angeles, California, where a wealthy Count Dracula looks to purchase an abandoned building and pursue the wife of his realtor, Jonathan Harker.
Black Water Vampire is a 2014 found footage horror film directed and written by Evan Tramel and starring Bill Oberst Jr., Danielle Lozeau, Andrea Monier, and Anthony Fanelli. The film was released direct to DVD on January 24, 2014 through Image Entertainment and stars Bill Oberst Jr. The film's plot follows a film group's attempt to document a series of murders.
Hellgate is a 2011 American-Thai supernatural thriller directed and written by John Penney, starring William Hurt and Cary Elwes. Elwes plays the sole survivor of a car crash who, upon seeing ghosts, seeks help from a spiritual guru (Hurt).
Deadly Revisions is a 2013 horror thriller that was written and directed by Gregory Blair and is his directorial debut. The film stars Bill Oberst Jr. as a horror writer and filmmaker trying to figure out what caused a gap in his memory and why.
All Hallows' Eve is a 2013 American horror anthology film written, directed and edited by Damien Leone, in his feature film directorial debut. The film is presented as a series of shorts that two children and their babysitter discover on an unmarked videotape on Halloween night, all of which feature a homicidal clown named Art the Clown. The film stars Katie Maguire, Catherine Callahan, Marie Maser, and Kayla Lian, with Mike Giannelli as Art the Clown. It incorporates footage from the 2008 short film The 9th Circle, as well as the 2011 short film Terrifier, both of which were also directed by Leone and featured Art the Clown.
The Demon's Rook is a 2013 independent fantasy-horror film and the directorial debut of James Sizemore. The film had its world premiere on July 27, 2013 at the Fantasia Film Festival and stars Sizemore as Roscoe, a young man that must find a way to stop demons from overtaking the world. Funding for The Demon's Rook was partially received through crowdsourcing websites Kickstarter and Indiegogo.
Werewolf Rising is a 2014 horror film written and directed by BC Furtney. The film was released to DVD in the United Kingdom on 22 September 2014 and was later released in the United States on 14 October. It stars Bill Oberst Jr. and Melissa Carnell, who portrays a young woman that finds herself the unwitting prey of a werewolf.
Neverlake is a 2013 Italian horror film. The film had its world premiere on 13 December 2013 at the Courmayeur Film Festival.
Terrifier is a 2016 American independent slasher film written and directed by Damien Leone. The film stars Jenna Kanell, Samantha Scaffidi, David Howard Thornton, and Catherine Corcoran. The plot centers on partygoer Tara Heyes (Kanell) and her sister Victoria (Scaffidi), who become targets of the enigmatic serial killer known only as Art the Clown (Thornton) on Halloween night.
Tales from the Hood 2 is a 2018 American black horror comedy anthology film written and directed by Rusty Cundieff and Darin Scott and executive-produced by Spike Lee. The film is the sequel to Cundieff and Scott's 1995 horror anthology Tales from the Hood. The segments "Good Golly", "The Sacrifice", and "Robo Hell" were directed by Rusty Cundieff. The segments "The Medium" and "Date Night" were directed by Darin Scott.
Art the Clown is a fictional character and the primary antagonist in the Terrifier franchise and related media. Created by Damien Leone, the character first appeared in the short films The 9th Circle (2008) and Terrifier (2011). Both shorts were included in the anthology film All Hallows' Eve (2013) which marked the character's feature film debut. In these early appearances, he was portrayed by Mike Giannelli before his retirement from acting. He was replaced by David Howard Thornton, who portrayed Art in Terrifier (2016), Terrifier 2 (2022), and Terrifier 3 (2024).
