Despite the goal of a clown being to entertain children, sometimes the exact opposite reaction is inspired in their audiences, a fact which parents in Florida aim to utilize when they hire Wrinkles the Clown, as chronicled in a new documentary. Whether it be reactions to villainous characters like Pennywise the Dancing Clown in Stephen King’s IT or Zeebo in Are You Afraid of the Dark?, pop culture never shies away from the seedier side of the characters, leading many to fear the jesters. The new Wrinkles the Clown documentary blurs the lines between fact and fiction, leading viewers to wonder if there are sinister intentions behind the performer.
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The film is described, “In late 2014, a low-res video of a person in a clown mask emerging from underneath a sleeping child’s bed appears on YouTube. The description below the video claims that the clown is named ‘Wrinkles,’ that he lives in southwest Florida, and that he’s been hired by the child’s parents to frighten her for misbehaving. The video goes viral. Soon, more mysterious videos of Wrinkles scaring children appear online, along with a phone number to hire him for ‘behavioral services.’”
The synopsis continues, “Wrinkles becomes internet lore – a whole genre of YouTube videos of kids filming themselves calling him appears online, and over a million messages are left at the number. Voicemails range from disturbing to hilarious to terrifying: parents use the number to terrify their children, kids who are obsessive fans of creepy clowns reach out to make a new friend, children threaten to inflict wildly creative violence if he comes anywhere near them. But who is Wrinkles, and why is he doing this? With incredible access to the mastermind behind the mask, Wrinkles the Clown is a cryptic and playful exploration of these questions, as well as an inside look at myth-building and the unpredictable spread of imagination in the Internet age.”
Clowns might be a popular subject for the horror genre, but not all fears are rooted in fictional imaginings of the characters. In the ’70s, John Wayne Gacy raped, tortured, and murdered at least 33 teenage boys and men in the suburbs of Chicago. Despite these horrendous crimes, Gacy would often spend weekends at community events as his alter ego of “Pogo the Clown,” establishing the notion that behind every performer lurked a horrifying and deadly secret.
Wrinkles the Clown is set to premiere at Fantastic Fest in Austin before earning an October 4th theatrical release.
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