The Day The Clown Died, Tricksters

What is so terrifying about clowns? Why do they seem to pop up everywhere? Before you dismiss this as a recent phenomenon, or the ICP, take a look at some of this: Clowns were an intrinsic part of many Native American pantheons, not to mention cosmologies. In fact, the fool is considered a central or pre-figuratively divine member of many pantheons the world over. Only the stolidness of monotheism could destroy such a wide-reaching, trans-cultural element.  Along with what Joseph Campbell said above, consider,

A masked appearance is noteworthy to the observers because it contrasts with normal appearances. Just this extraordinary aspect of the experience signals that it is symbolic... It is in their genius for portraying the most extraordinary that clowns find their role, and therefor we can see them as masters of religious symbolism. ... Throughout much of the 19th and 20th centuries, Native American clowning was reported by outsiders in descriptions that scarcely hid the observers' disapproval of the actions they witnessed. Their use of Latin or English euphemisms to describe the explicit sexual and physical antics of the clowns doubtless reveals as much about their own religious and cultural values as about the Native Americans, (Native American Religions, Sam D. Gill.)

This is yet another function of the clown, to serve as a mirror, and to point out what cannot otherwise be shown to the authority who might otherwise grow to central and strong. In this way it is actually a powerful symbol designed to keep one-sided monotheism from fomenting.  This actually seems so embedded in what a clown is that it needn't be intentional. Consider the "Day The Clown Cried," which recently leaked, 

If you're not familiar with it,

The Day the Clown Cried is an unreleased 1972 film directed by and starring Jerry Lewis. The film was met with controversy regarding its premise and content, which features a circus clown who is imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp. The Day the Clown Cried has become somewhat infamous among film historians and movie buffs as a film that has never officially been released. (See above for recently leaked scenes.)

What an ill-conceived notion! And yet, how perfectly clown-ish.

There is of course a more sinister side to the clown, which goes far beyond Stephen King's IT,

Even for outsiders, clown antics are outrageously funny so long as they can be observed at a comfortable distance. ... In the matter of this delicate dividing line between humor and fear, clowns are also masters. To be only threatening would greatly limit the impact of clowning, eliminating the subtleties of the humor. Yet to eliminate the element of the fear altogether would be to truncate the symbolic significance of clowning; it would then be mere acting. (Native America Religions, Sam D. Gill.) 

This is something that we took to heart when creating the Gonzomentary, as discussed in this post. (And many thanks to my contributors there for helping me dig up some of this information.)

Real-life versions of clowns turned sinister are not always so funny, as the examples of John Wayne Gacy or Wearie Willie's grandson shows.

Full article here, Coulrophobia and the Trickster, excerpt: