From South Carolina to upstate New York, and as far west as Missouri, police are getting reports of creepy clowns trying to lure children into the woods. The spread of such stories may remind you of the flying saucer craze in the 1950s, Bigfoot in the ‘60s, or the satanic daycare stories in the ’80s. An article at Rolling Stone gives an overview of current killer clown epidemic. You’d think that people would be more skeptical of such reports, but the 21st century has something that the earlier hoaxes did not: millions of people with cameras ready to record something that might go viral on the internet. A killer clown is also an opportunity to scare someone you know with an easy prank. And a creepy tale to pass along.
Atlas Obscura tells us about Rolla, Missouri, police detective Adam Meyer, who made a thorough investigation into local reports of killer clowns. And posted his findings on Facebook. Here’s a small part.
While I was talking to the person who made the recording he introduced me to the clown who was in the video. Needless to say, I survived the encounter. He also was nice enough to let me take a picture of the mask that he was wearing in the movie. They’re both just normal guys who were playing a joke on the girls. I asked the young man where he got the mask but I already knew. Has anybody else found it somewhat of a coincidence that right as Wal-Mart and other major retailers began to sell Halloween costumes is when all of these creepy clowns started to pop up?
The full Facebook post details his investigation, which pretty much uncovers all the reasons one might see a killer clown in Rolla. Besides, you know, viral marketing for a movie about a killer clown. Or another movie. Or even a short film.
(Image credit: Rolla Police Department)