Top 10 Scariest TV Clowns Ever

Top 10 Scariest TV Clowns

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Scariest TV Clowns.

For this list, we’ll be looking at some of the most haunting clowns that have appeared on television shows, mini-series and commercials.

Which TV clown left you with potential nightmares as a child… or an adult? Let us know in the comments down below.

#10: Robot Clowns
“Doctor Who” (1963-)

Leave it to “Doctor Who” to provide us with some of the creepiest characters imaginable. In the “The Greatest Show in the Galaxy” serial, the Doctor and his companion Ace visit Segonax. In this twisted world, a circus forces visitors to perform. Those who resist are manhandled by stoic mechanical clowns. The awful automatons mindlessly obey their sadistic and savage master without question. While the angry Chief Clown is scary, there’s something more unsettling about the army of robot clowns that show absolutely no emotion. We know henchmen are supposed to be intimidating, but “Doctor Who” took it a step too far.

#9: Ronald McDonald of the 1960s

Remember when you were a kid and McDonald’s was the most exciting place to go? His warm smile invited you to enjoy a delicious hamburger. While his recent designs are pretty tame, Ronald McDonald’s likeness gets creepier the further back in time you go. The 1970s version was pretty unsettling. Now picture him as a creepy clown wearing what looks like garbage inviting you over for fast food. That’s basically what 1960s McDonald’s commercials featured. This version of Ronald was a not-so-appetizing mash-up of fast food containers and unsettling smiles. He wore a tray as a hat, a cup for a nose and served pure nightmare fuel. The mascot looked more like he just climbed out of the dumpster behind the restaurant than someone who represented it.

#8: The Clown-Faced Scarecrow
“Tales from the Crypt” (1989-96)

Is there anything scarier than a clown version of something that’s already creepy to begin with? “Tales from the Crypt” tried to answer this question in one spooky story. In “The Four-Sided Triangle” episode, a delusional farmhand named Mary Jo falls in love with a scarecrow wearing a clown mask. She tries to meet up with her lover while the randy and married owner of the farm continuously makes unwanted advances toward her. When Mary Jo refuses him, the old farmer disguises himself as the scarecrow of her affections. His plan ironically backfires when his wife accidentally murders him while trying to prove that the scarecrow isn’t alive. We still have one burning question though: who puts a creepy clown mask on a scarecrow?

#7: Kaptain Krazee
“The Haunting Hour: The Series” (2010-14)

Remember those R.L. Stine books you used to devour as a pre-teen or teenager? Some things never really stop being scary. In an episode of “The Haunting Hour”, we meet a boy named Chris who has a life-long fear of clowns. Unfortunately, he’s continuously stalked and tormented by the circus staples. Chris is then forced to confront his phobia when he’s invited to Kaptain Krazee’s “Cavalcade of Clowns” by a girl he likes. While the barrage of carnival clowns is more than creepy, Kaptain Krazee himself is truly the stuff of nightmares. What kind of a clown wears zombiesque contact lenses and crimps their wig? After watching this episode - and discovering the twist - we completely understand Chris’s fears.

#6: Zombozo
“Ben 10” (2005-08)

“Ben 10’s” Zombozo could be described as the Joker on steroids. Not only is he a sadistic and evil clown, but he also has superpowers. Zombozo has crazy amounts of strength, can conjure illusions and stretch his limbs. He gained these abilities after he was munched on by zombies. But superpowers weren’t the only thing Zombozo subsequently gained. After being bitten, he developed a unique craving. Zombozo literally feeds on happiness and laughter. Once his victims are sapped of their joy, he starts devouring their fear. Zombozo is further proof that combining a clown with something that’s already creepy results in a truly terrifying entity.

#5: Zeebo
“Are You Afraid of the Dark?” (1990-96; 1999-2000; 2019-)

A boy named Josh decides to visit a “spook house” at a local amusement park to prove that it is nothing to fear. Once inside, he steals the nose off a plastic clown named Zeebo. But Zeebo isn’t having it. The clown torments Josh in his everyday life until the nose is returned. Unfortunately, the premise of the story isn’t the scariest part of this episode―Zeebo is. The clown’s grotesquely wide features make him look like a funhouse mirror image in real time. His mouth takes up the majority of his face, his eyes look like mutated glowing olives, and his teeth are green and yellow. It doesn't matter whether Zeebo was actually alive or just a haunted house prop; just by the looks of him, we certainly wouldn’t mess with this creepy clown’s nose.

#4: Joker
“Batman: The Animated Series” (1992-95)

Although there have been many incarnations of the psychotic clown on TV, the scariest one was arguably voiced by Mark Hamill on “Batman: The Animated Series”. With his imposing and intimidating presence, this version of The Joker strikes fear into pretty much everyone except Batman. The villain says and does what he wants without caring about the potential consequences of his actions. While this Clown Prince of Crime can seem like a silly performer who just likes to make jokes at first, he will always leave his victims quaking with fear later on. Hamill’s grandiose and expressive voiceover performance compliments the terrifying character perfectly.

#3: Jerome Valeska
“Gotham” (2014-19)

“Gotham”’s developers once described Jerome Valeska as a precursor to The Joker. He lived up to that reputation by being a psychopathic murderer that bounced in and out of Arkham Asylum. After the former circus employee was killed, he was brought back via a frightening resurrection process. Although Valeska regained his life, he lost his face. Valeska decided to crudely reattach it before starting a new crime spree. Much like the Joker, Valeska is intimidating and imposing. He’s easily able to influence his fellow asylum residents to serve as his minions. Valeska also treats his heinous acts like part of some sort of hilarious, entertaining sideshow. Meanwhile, his maniacal and off-putting laughter will endlessly haunt his victims long after they get away from his twisted face.

#2: Twisty
“American Horror Story” (2011-)

Twisty the clown was a popular staple at Rusty Westchester’s Travelling Carnival. After he spent some time in the spotlight, his envious coworkers started a rumor that he was mistreating children. This resulted in Twisty being deposed and disgraced. Although he desperately wanted to entertain and help children, he was constantly shut down. Twisty eventually decided to turn a gun on his own face. He wound up with a missing jaw that he chose to replace with a horrifying prosthetic grin. Poor Twisty just wants to be loved by children. But we don’t think kidnapping and murdering parents and other innocent people was the best way for him to get appreciation.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Ice Cream Ghost Clown, “Masters of Horror” (2005-07)
Buster Seeks Revenge for His Untimely Death

“Crazy” Joe Davola, “Seinfeld” (1989-98)
Jerry Seinfeld’s Very Own Pagliaccio

Monster Clowns of Plucky Pennywhistle’s Magical Menagerie, “Supernatural” (2005-20)
Sam’s Worst Nightmare Attacks

Evil Talking Krusty Doll, “The Simpsons” (1989-)
It Comes with a Free Frogurt!

#1: Pennywise
“It” (1990)

No clown-themed TV list would be complete without our old “friend”, Pennywise. Pennywise is an old cosmic entity that can take on the form of its prey’s fears. But since the evil monster loves to attack children, it spends most of its time running around as a clown to lull them into a false sense of security. Although Pennywise looks like a 1980s birthday party clown, it is anything but. Its presence is absolutely terrifying in every scene it appears in. When the notorious Pennywise first appeared in the 1990 “It” miniseries, Tim Curry donned the big red nose and sharp teeth. The actor’s signature grin and murderous glare still give us chills to this day.