If creepy clowns or clowns in general freak you out, I would suggest never visiting Northampton, England. The town of 215,000 is located 60 miles outside London and has recently been experiencing the repeated appearance of a clown dressed in a red wig and full make-up. As expect, residents find the Northampton clown to be strange and just downright disturbing.
According to a local paper report, the clown just randomly shows up in different locations and first started appearing on Friday the 13th.
The clown has freaked out residents so much that it launched a police warning for the surrounding area. According to police, they are tracking down two teenagers who have dressed as clowns and have acted in a peculiar fashion.
According to the Northampton Herald and Post : “He doesn’t juggle. He doesn’t twist balloons into animal shapes. He just stares.”
One female resident of Northampton says the clown knocked on her door and offered to paint her window sills.
While some residents see the Northampton clown appearance as a joke, others are actually frightened by his appearance. In several cases, vigilantes have threatened to “get” the clown.
Being frightened by clowns is not a new phenomenon with coulrophobia documented as a very real problem. A recent study even found that clowns are generally disliked by children just as they are among adults.
This new creepy clown phenomenon has led to the creation of a Facebook Page which tracks clown sightings around Northampton. The page has 19,000 likes, many of which were probably added by clown haters who are trying to avoid the creepy staring clown.
Because of the strange clown sightings, the hashtag #northamptonclown began trending on Twitter.
Here’s the creepy clown tweet that originally featured the photo showcased on this page:
Here he is #NorthamptonClown #Terrifying pic.twitter.com/5zdlInvY1r
— Joe (@jogo78) September 13, 2013
Are you freaked out by clowns? Would you go out of your way to avoid the Northampton clown?