Clowns, which once delighted people, are now being recognized as ``symbols of fear.''
Clowns (clowns) are originally meant to make people laugh with their silly movements and acrobatics, but as evidenced by cases of
Stephen King's IT: Why Clowns Are Scary - YouTube
'IT' is a full-length novel written by Stephen King in 1986.
'IT' was released as a television movie in 1990.
In addition,
Pennywise is the clown that appears in IT.
Before Pennywise, there were clown characters such as Bozo from the TV show 'Bozo the Crown' and McDonald's Donald. These beloved characters can be said to be descended from Pennywise.
However, in ``IT,'' King portrayed Pennywise not as a lovable character, but as the ``ultimate evil'' and ``the most familiar fear.''
Pennywise not only attacks children, but also incites fear by distorting the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Pennywise changes his appearance freely and appears in front of the children. One of those figures was a clown.
Pennywise appears in the form of a ``funny clown'' to get closer to his prey, children.
What 'IT' highlights is the fear of 'Stranger Danger'. Strangers can be scary for children, as they say in Japan, ``Don't follow strangers.''
'Stranger Danger' is evil that is done according to desire without motive, and it can also be said that it is evil that exists within human nature.
For example, Georgie is the first victim of Pennywise at the beginning of the movie.
One of the most famous scenes in IT is the scene in which he sinks the toy boat he borrowed from his brother into the sewers, and when he tries to pick it up, Pennywise catches him and kills him.
Teasing a young child to death is pure evil.
On the other hand, Pennywise appears in front of children in the form of ``familiar fear'' in addition to ``Stranger Danger''.
For example, in the movie, when a girl is being abused by her father, Pennywise appears in the form of her father.
The story also depicts how the objects of fear change as the children in the play grow older.
Pennywise, who symbolizes pure evil and fear, always appears as a clown holding a balloon and laughing out loud, but there's a reason why Pennywise dressed as a clown makes him more frightening.
The creepiness we feel about clowns is similar to the creepiness we feel about dolls. It is said that people feel a certain amount of fear or aversion to things that accurately imitate humans, such as dolls, mannequins, and CG.
This phenomenon called the ``
For example, in the 1988 horror movie ``
The clown's face is covered in heavy makeup, making it unreadable and slightly inhuman, giving it a creepy, doll-like appearance. This is one of the fears that clowns give.
Furthermore, the makeup and costumes that hide the true identity of the clown's ``inner person'' amplify the clown's unusual and mysterious impression.
In fact, clowns have a history of being used as a means to hide and escape from reality.
The most famous example is
Gacy showed a kind of obsession with clowns, such as visiting welfare facilities in his home state of Kentucky dressed as clowns and drawing many pictures of clowns in prison. Gacy himself said that he found the most peace of mind when he dressed up as a clown.
In 2016, a man dressed as a clown appeared in Kentucky at night and became a hot topic.
Although the man dressed as a clown did not commit any particular wrongdoing, he was arrested by the police for causing anxiety and fear to the residents. This incident clearly shows how clowns, which were supposed to bring laughter to people, have turned into symbols of fear in America.
A clown that makes people smile, but due to its eerie nature and gruesome incidents in the past, its appearance has been used as a symbol of evil in 'IT'. As a result, it can be said that clowns have now become a terrifying presence among people.
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