Thanks to horror films, some of the most innocent things imaginable have been given a sinister image through the way authors and filmmakers can twist their perception. Whether it be dolls or children themselves, innocence can feel completely corrupted once horror creators get their hands on something. Recently, the clowning community has voiced their concern over how Stephen King used the image of a clown in his story “It” as the embodiment of intergalactic evil. Not one to mince words, King took to his Twitter account to address the criticisms.
The clowns are pissed at me. Sorry, most are great. BUT…kids have always been scared of clowns. Don’t kill the messengers for the message.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) April 10, 2017
UP NEXT: Spike TV’s Adaptation Of ‘The Mist’ Gets First Trailer
Videos by PopCulture.com
King made it a point to say “most are great,” but there’s no real need for him to defends why the image of a clown as a source of evil could make for such compelling imagery.
Long before King used a clown in his story of an intergalactic being killing kids in a small Maine town, the most dangerous clown people could imagine was John Wayne Gacy.
Throughout his deadly career, Gacy kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and murdered 33 teenage boys, and those are only the numbers that authorities know about.
During his murderous activity, he would also appear at fundraisers, birthday parties, and parades as his alter ego “Pogo the Clown,” proving that looks can be deceiving and even something as innocent as a clown could have a darker history.
During an interview with the Bangor News in Maine, King revealed in 2016 what made him choose the image of a clown for “It.”
“I chose Pennywise the Clown as the face which the monster originally shows the kiddies because kids love clowns, but they also fear them,” King revealed. “Clowns with their white faces and red lips are so different and so grotesque compared to ‘normal’ people. Take a little kid to the circus and show him a clown, he’s more apt to scream with fear than laugh.”
What do you think of King’s response to the community he inadvertently offended? Let us know in the comments!
MORE NEWS:
- J.J. Abrams And Stephen King’s Castle Rock Teaser Released
- George RR Martin Asks Stephen King How The F–k He Writes So Fast
- Batman Short Story From Stephen King Recreated In Audio Form
[H/T Twitter, stephenking]
