There has been this vast fear around the country due to “creepy clowns” coming out into neighborhoods and committing criminal acts. They have been found through security cameras, in forests, in streets, and around schools. But some people tend to think that it is all just a publicity stunt for the movie coming out called “It.”  

The movie is a horror movie centered around a clown named Pennywise who haunts seven children. The clown is supposed to be known as a monster that the children somehow can’t get away from. It was originally a book written by Stephen King and is expected to be showing in theaters on September 8, 2017.

The clown sightings all started August 29, 2016 in South Carolina where a clown was spotted walking around an apartment complex and trying to lure children into the woods. Ever since, people have been tagging along with the criminal acts and dressing up as clowns themselves spreading to the Southeast Region of the United States. However, it has now spread everywhere in the United States creating a phenomenon. Threats have gone on the web and multiple videos have been found. Some schools have closed for days because of these criminal acts, and it is now illegal to dress up as a clown in a county in Mississippi.

I think that the similarities may be a coincidence, but I do not believe that the movie had anything to do with the sudden mania. And having the movie production team come out confessing that they had no involvement in the craze proves that it is all just a coincidence.

If this scenario were to ever happen to myself I would be terrified just as everyone else was due to the fact that I know that this isn’t just a fluke. Some people go around searching and trying to “hunt” these clowns but the danger in that could be life-threatening. These are actual people that are terrorizing others. Some may not mean harm and just use it as a joke to play around with others, but some have committed crimes using these clown costumes as a way to not get caught. Now knowing all of this, I wouldn’t take the chance of my life against these clowns.

Having these crimes connected to the movie just seems ridiculous to me knowing that the movie is not supposed to come out for another year. The clowns have no correlation to the movie; they’re just people trying to grab attention through social media and think of an excuse to get away with criminal charges.