Red noses. White painted faces. Colorful costumes and oversized shoes.

Horror. Blood. Stalking. Obsession.

From once being a harmless childhood entertainment, to now being associated with fear and terror, clown hysteria has taken over the country.

In 48 states, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia,  clown sightings were reported, leading to terror and world-wide panic.

The clown craze began in late August after clowns were spotted in South Carolina trying to lure children into the woods. From then on, the clown craze has led to a nationwide phenomenon; clown sightings have led to arrests, felony charges and school lockdowns.

Over the past couple of weeks, the magnitude of the panic has greatly increased. Specifically, at Pennsylvania State University, thousands of students crowded the campus to participate in a major “clown hunt.” According to the Daily Collegian, Penn State’s student newspaper, “nearly one thousand students partook in the clown hunt… There were reports that police were shutting down streets.. and people said that part of the campus was on lockdown.”

The number of clown attacks is immeasurable; sightings have occurred all over, even as close as in Milwaukee. According to Katie Cunningham, Milwaukee Public Schools Spokeswoman, the school districts have “learned of several nonspecific threats against schools involving individuals wearing clown masks… The district was working with the Milwaukee Police Department to assess whether the threats were valid.”

Initially, the clown craze was harmless and no people were harmed in the process. However, recently, some attacks have turned violent and have led to arrests and felony charges. For example, at least nine clown sightings in Alabama have led to arrests. Clowns were forced to “un-mask” and face harassment charges. “We wanted to make an example and crack down on clown-related activity in our city,” Jonathon Horton, Alabama Rainbow City Police Chief, said.

Besides grabbing the media’s and the nation’s attention, the clown craze has even reached its way to the White House. When asked about the situation, Josh Earnest, press secretary, responded that he “didn’t know that the president has been briefed on this particular situation… But obviously, this is a situation that law enforcement is taking quite seriously.”

All in all, the clown craze has grown immensely and still continues to instill nationwide panic. “It’s an adrenaline rush. It’s a party. It’s a game,” Scott Bonn, Drew University criminologist, said. “We don’t know what’s beneath that makeup. It could be anyone or anything. [Clowns] are actually very frightening.”

Sasha Milbeck