THE FEAR OF CLOWNS IS NO LAUGHING MATTER, ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE KILLER CLOWNS THAT HAVE ENTERED YOUR DREAMS!!!

   Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right! Here I  am stuck in the middle of them! (a little verse from a Gerry Rafferty song).  Clowns could be a nightmare to someone suffering from Coulrophobia.  It is estimated that as many as 1 out of 7 people suffers from a fear of clowns.

   For those suffering from Courophobia, Bozo and his red-nosed brethren are anything but funny or amusing.  Surprisingly, the fear of clowns is one of the top ten most common phobias.  While it may seem funny that grown men and women alike may shirk in fear from seemingly harmless, albeit doofy characters with over-sized shoes and rainbow suspenders, for them it is no laughing matter. While the cause of Courophobia isn't necessarily known and is different for everyone, one common theory holds that the root cause most likely stems fro a traumatic childhood experience.  Maybe you were squirted by one too many trick flowers while a white faced clown laughed in your face; or perhaps you had a coat rack in your room growing up that resembled an evil menacing bozo-like character when the lights were off.

   The image of the evil clown has become a cliche' in today's society.  From Bart Simpson's "Can't sleep clowns will eat me" to The Joker of Batman fame, clowns are not always the picture of fun.  Whatever the case, I'm sure the release of "It", The Steven King novel and movie that had a clown named Pennywise in it.  He had razor sharp teeth and drug children into the sewer.

   John Wayne Gacy, an American serial killer, convicted and executed for the rape and murder of 33 boys and men, between 1972 and the time of his arrest in 1978, was known as the "Killer Clown" because he attended many block parties dressed in a clown suit and makeup under the name of Pogo the Clown.  Koko the Killer Clown appears in a sideshow at Coney Island.  Homey D. Clown from the comedy show "In Living Color", was an ex-con drug addict with a penchant for violence.  Not to mention the 1988 movie "Killer Clowns from Outer Space", and the nasty clown doll in the movie "Poltergeist".

    As phobias are no laughing matter, the same with all mental health problems, it is worth noting that there are steps for overcoming such aversions if you are one of the poor people facing such a crippling and debilitating fear that it impedes your life.  There are sufferers who are so petrified of clowns that they are sent into panic attacks at the mere sight of an outfitted clown.  There are treatment methods that include hypnotherapy, medications, and immersion therapy; where the patient is forced to face the very crux of their phobia.  Luckily, as it isn't everyday that the circus comes to town and you're forced to be faced with those bizarre polka-dot painted clowns everyday, most people re likely to simply avoid them when they can and get on with their perfectly productive lives!

  Still, it leads one to question what a particularly evil posse of clowns could be capable of and what sort of havoc they could incur.  Hollywood has given us a few possible ideas, and if you aren't a Courophobic yet, you may be after viewing one of these clown horror movies!

• Fear of Clowns
• IT
• The Clown Murders
• Secrets of the Clown
• Dead Clowns
• We All Scream for Ice Cream
• Final Draft
• Killer Clowns From Outer Space

   You don't have to be a kid to be sent crawling under your bedsheets for safety.  If the creepy little clown mobile hanging in your room sends you crying to mama, you may want to switch that nightlight on for safety!!!