Scary clowns are about to be back in the news headlines this fall. Stephen King and horror fans are anxiously awaiting the release of the film "IT" but is it going to cause a nationwide clown panic?
Austin theater caters to clowns for special 'IT' screening
A Texas movie theater in Austin has announced that they will be hosting a special Clown-Only showing of "IT." That is right - the theater is going to be packed to capacity with film goers dressed as scary clowns! The Alamo Theater in Austin's site states that participants should come dressed as a clown to attend this special showing.
The Alamo's official site states" Please arrive in your own Pennywise best and be ready to float with us."
Do you know someone who is terrified of clowns?
While many believe that this is a super cool event, there are a few skeptics that are thinking back to last years when a nationwide clown panic made news headlines for several months. The clown-only event is already sold out, and now it is wondered if the scary movie is just the beginning of clown panic round two. As previously reported, folklorist and author Benjamin Redford revealed earlier this year that he believed the clown panic of last fall would return.
This type of clown fear and hype has been going on for decades. The “clown panics,” as he described them, go back decades - to the ’80s - and reports of “phantom clowns” trying to lure or abduct children have been tied to them.
In 2016 during the fall, the United States was plagued with a major breakout of clown sightings.
Hundreds of phone calls were placed to police stations with panicked residents reporting creepy clowns appearing on their porches, outside their homes, and coming out from cornfields terrorizing hundreds of concerned Americans. For some, it was all in spooky fun, but for others, it was a nightmare come true due to coulrophobia, the Fear Of Clowns.
The creepy clown sightings have a high probability of returning this fall, especially as the Stephen King "IT" film is due to hit theaters on September 8th.
With "IT" and Halloween just around the corner citizens may need to be on high alert again this year for creepy clown sightings in your neighborhood. So far authorities have not warned against the possibility of the annoying, scary clown come back, but, it is early and if and when you see someone lurking about dressing as a clown just remember you heard it first here folks.
Do you believe that "IT" will kick start a creepy clown panic in 2017?
