KILLER CLOWNS STALKING BRITAIN’S STREETS
Horror as sick jokers return ALARMING ADVICE
POLICE fear a mass return of “killer” clowns this week as sick pranksters are inspired by a new horror movie.
They are worried youngsters will dress like Pennywise, the clown from Stephen King movie It.
Pennywise lives in the sewers and murders children. And as Halloween approaches, it is feared the film – in cinemas from tomorrow – may trigger a worse wave of attacks than the UK suffered last year.
Sick jokers sparked terror with masks to scare victims, including the elderly and children.
The first recorded sighting of this year was when a clown was spotted in Chelmsford, Essex, on Friday and reported to police. And sources said forces across the country are gearing up for a flood of “killer clown” calls from terrified Brits.
Dr Adam Lynes, a criminologist studying the phenomenon, thinks there could be an “escalation” in attacks this autumn due to gore-fest films like It. Another terrifying TV series, American Horror Story: Cult, featuring Donald Trump killer clowns, began on Tuesday.
Birmingham University A SPOOF of It is being used to get us to check our smoke alarms. A video mimics trailers of the movie, using a balloon and scary red writing telling viewers they
® lecturer Dr Lynes said: “It could cause an escalation. These films are now commodifying the killer clown craze and making money out of it.”
He also warned of the danger of youngsters trying to “outdo” each other by dressing up as the terrifying creatures for social media posts.
Dr Lynes also explained why the public are so afraid of clowns. “We don’t believe things such as vampires, werewolves and monsters are real but the clown is something that is possible.
“There have been clowns that have killed people in the past – so it is more believable.”
Last September US police hunted a man wearing a clown mask after a fatal stabbing.
And in 1978, clown John Wayne Gacy, whose professional name was Pogo, was sentenced to death for the murder of 33 young boys and men near Chicago.
The World Clown Association has blamed horror author Stephen King for ruining its profession.
Boss Pam Moody said: “It all started with the original It. It’s not a clown and has nothing to do with pro clowning.” cannot escape “their worst nightmare”.
The clip then says “don’t be a clown” before a gloved hand is seen testing a smoke alarm.
It was created by Kent Fire and Rescue, which has previously used Star Wars-themes.
Ian Thomson, of its community safety team, said: “We’re trying to find ways to encourage people to think about safety.”