The Stuff of Nightmares

Are you a fan of clowns? If they kind of scare you, you’re not the only one. Although the “creepy clown” stereotype didn’t become mainstream until the 1980s and ‘90s, there’s no denying that vintage clowns look extremely terrifying. This vintage photo of a Ringling Brothers clown sitting in a dressing room chair is straight out of a nightmare. 

First off, where are his eyes?! Maybe it’s the black-and-white nature of this vintage photo, but it looks like this clown has two black holes instead of regular eyeballs. There’s nothing friendly about this clown. Maybe the photographer just caught him on an off day and he didn’t feel like acting jolly. Whatever the reason, we can’t unsee it.