What is the killer clown hoax, how many UK sightings have there been and what is phantom clown theory?
Sinister smiling clowns just like Pennywise from It seem to have comeback to haunt us just ahead of Halloween. Here's what we know about the creepy craze.
A TERRIFYING clown hoax which swept the world in 2016 has made an unwelcome return.
Sinister smiling clowns just like Pennywise from It seem to have comeback to haunt us just ahead of Halloween. Here's what we know about the creepy craze.
What is the killer clown hoax?
There are many theories as to why there have been so many clown sightings in recent months.
In scenes that very much resemble something out of a horror film, the costumed men have been sighted lurking in woodland and residential areas.
Some bold criminals have even made there way into house porches or have peered in through windows in a sinister manner.
Many believe that the reports are all part of an elaborate prank.
They are adamant that the hoax is simply a promotion that's linked to Stephen King’s IT film, but since that film has been and gone the craze has continued.
How many sightings have there been?
In 2016 cops received dozens of reports of clowns terrorising the streets.
The first killer clown incidents sprung up in the US in 2016, but the phenomenon quickly spread to our shores.
Thames Valley Police received 14 reports of people being intimidated by clowns over just two days that year and Gloucestershire cops were called six times in 48 hours.
Most were just pranksters trying to scare people but some were criminal in nature.
Some clowns were even spotted wielding knives, chainsaws and other weapons.
The craze continued into 2017, with youngsters clad in creepy clown gear standing outside schools to scare kids.
Last year a film adaption of It was released featuring Pennywise the clown who terrorises children in Maine, America.
It is believed to have reignited the craze and causing pranksters to adapt the disguise.
This year alone two incidents have been reported, with a third "killer clown" incident this week.
It is feared the sightings will be ramped up as we approach Halloween.
The latest sightings include August 25 this year when thieves wearing clown masks reportedly burst into a Sainsbury’s Local in Prestwich, threatening to shoot the workers if they did not open the till.
On September 14 two boys reported being chased by a knife wielding clown shouting “run or die” in Dartford, Kent.
This month on October 3 another two lads were reportedly chased by a clown brandishing an axe by a Co-op in Sittingbourne, Kent.
What is phantom clown theory?
Some experts believe that the staggering surge in clown sightings is a result of the fear provoked by social media.
People are also likely to have an underlying concern about clowns, as they have been such prominent horror villains in television and film.
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As reports have sparked mass hysteria, people are more likely to believe that they have seen something suspicious.
Cryptozoologist Loren Coleman, who studies uncategorised species, has described this epidemic as the Phantom Clown Syndrome.
He explained that more people are seeing clowns because they have a “primal dread that so many children experience in their presence”.
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