A review by ericarobyn
Fear of Clowns A Horror Anthology: Coulrophobia Stories by Fiction › Thrillers › SupernaturalFiction / Anthologies (multiple authors)Fiction / HorrorFiction / Thrillers / Supernatural

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Fear of Clowns A Horror Anthology: Coulrophobia Stories edited by Kenneth W. Cain is a spine-chilling compilation of some of the most terrifying clown stories I’ve ever encountered.

You may think you know clown horror… but you have no idea how wild the horrors can get until you dive into this collection. Good luck! 🙂

My favorites from this collection include: 

• Mr. Tasty Crinkle by Craig E. Sawyer
• The Fears Of A Clown by Bev Vincent
• Giggles In The Glitch by Dex Bryant
• A Ticket To The Funhouse by Gwendolyn Kiste
• The Gift by Lisa Kröger 

Per usual, here are my notes on each tale!

The Hollow Ones Weep Greasepaint by Hailey Piper – 

The clowns that had once brought laughter have transformed into receptacles for humanity’s emotional garbage. But be careful not to care about them! And definitely don’t cry for a clown… 

All of the anger, hurt, and hate being thrown at these clowns is devastating to read. The scenes with parents coaching kids to continue to be hateful were especially difficult to read. 

Quit Clowning Around by Clay McLeod Chapman  – 

While commuting, this character has a strange encounter with an old woman. The next day it happens again with another person. But what is going on? 

Oh this was wildly unsettling! The elements of the commute alone is enough to set anyone off, but the smiling… and that ending!!

Mr. Tasty Crinkle by Craig E. Sawyer –

Set up in a Reddit thread format, a group of people try to recall a spooky children’s cereal. As they reminisce, things get darker and darker… 

This story gave me chills! When I was younger, I was so interested in urban legends and trying to find out where they stemmed from. This one took that darkness to a whole new level! 

Dots The Magic Clown by Adam Cesare – 

A man desperate for book sales has a plan. 

In classic Adam Cesar fashion, there’s a lot of brutal bloodshed here! This tale would make me nervous to ever attend a book event with Adam! Haha 

Clown Heads by Em Starr – 

While working with a carnival, everyone knows there’s something wrong with number 9… 

Carnival horror is one of my favorite sub-genres. This one had so much dread infused in it! 

The Fears Of A Clown by Bev Vincent – 

Set up in a monologue where a clown is speaking to a therapist, the clown discusses his struggles as well as the fear of clowns.

This was so darkly fun! Ugh, the line about people being nasty though… if only people could just be kind! 

Jollification by Mel Reynes – 

After an incident, this crew is forced to perform a quick autopsy on their crewmate to determine what happened and whether it was contagious.

This one got WILD so fast! My goodness! I was so nervous about seeing the next carnival treat that would be mentioned. 

The Circus Inside You by Tim Waggoner – 

When a road rage incident forces this character into flashbacks from childhood, each scene gets more and more brutal. 

This poor guy… my goodness. From the event in childhood to the stressors of the current day, he needed something good to happen. 

Pop by Jonathan Lees – 

Haunted by a clown around every corner, this man cannot get away from the terror. 

The dread in this one is intense! 

Giggles In The Glitch by Dex Bryant – 

Determined to find a VHS tape, this woman is looking to return to something… 

My gosh, when you find out what she was trying to relive and prove herself was real is horrific. 

The Drolls by Jonathan Janz –

A cynical man doesn’t want to be attending an event for his son’s birthday. Letting his wife know about some childhood trauma doesn’t help the situation. Things only get darker as the day goes on.

My gosh, this main character is so easy to dislike! And phew, that ending! 

Scribble Face by S.B. Caves – 

When an email is sent reporting a stranger had gotten onto school property, one mom asks her son about it and is immediately thrown back into a scene from her childhood.

This one was so dark and brutal! That ending had me holding my breath and I’m so very grateful for the details that were left out! 

Grease Paint and Monkey Brains by Duncan Ralston – 

After a bit of road rage, this character finds themselves in clown country. 

A quick tale of tension and running toward who you are.

Serial Clown by Rutger Middelburg – 

A homicide detective on a case of a serial clown killer is about to get a break in the case, but it’s nothing he would have ever suspected. 

Oh, this got so eerie! What a spooky premise! 

No One Wants To Go To Happy Land by Douglas Ford – 

Obsessed with a clown, even after he kidnaps her, this woman just can’t let that love go. 

How nonchalant this character was at every stage of this tale was so unsettling. 

Fear Of Boys by Carissa Ann Lynch – 

Falling head over heels for a boy, this girl has plans for their anniversary…

The end of this! Oh my gosh. 

A Ticket To The Funhouse by Gwendolyn Kiste – 

When a carnival comes to town, this woman is drawn to it but she is also hesitant after a scare from childhood left her with questions. 

This poor woman! I was rooting for her right from the start! 

Cypress Circus by Red Lagoe – 

Taking a fishing trip on a bit of an odd day, this man has one goal, and it’s not to clear his head. 

The description in this one! Oh my gosh, from the waters to the roots of the trees, this was so powerful. It forces readers to be right in the moment with the character. 

All Smiles Under The Big Top by Bitter Karella – 

A woman with a fixation on different types of clowns has one mission for the night and she won’t let anything get in her way. 

Oh god, that last bit broke me. That poor kid. I hate that ending so much, ugh my heart. 

The Penthouse Suite At The Plague Pit Hotel by A.C. Wise – 

When telling secret histories, this couple keeps trying to one-up each other and ends up in the tunnels below the building. And of course, something happens in the tunnels. 

This was so eerie! The tension built is intense!

The Gift by Lisa Kröger – 

Receiving unwanted gift after gift from someone she was trying to avoid, she receives a clown doll in the mail that really spooks her. No matter what she does, she can’t get rid of it. 

This is a tale straight from my nightmares. I had a terrible nightmare once about a doll and the next day gave every single one of them to my Nana. This tale had such a similar vibe it left me with the chills. 

Anymore Is A Long Time by Thomas Tessier – 

Finally leaving someone who clearly didn’t care for him, this man thinks he’s just on a trip to start over. But then things get tense. 

Oh my gosh, the jumps between scenes made this one extra tense! 

The Grim Chameleon Apparatus by Michael A. Reed – 

Receiving a punishment each night, this teen is stepped to his bed with a contraption that hovers above him. For a full eight hours, he’s stuck with the torture. 

Punishment of kids is so difficult for me to read. I wanted to jump into this scene and help the poor kid. 

The Funhouse by V. Castro – 

Taking a turn off the highway for some fun, this man gets into a sticky situation. 

All the red flags here, but this man was so darn determined to have a good time!

Bobo by Hunter Shea – 

Reeling from the loss of their son, the mother begins to see the boy again. But is he really there or is it a side effect of her medication? 

I surprised myself by reading this one! Any horror kid-related has become a no-go for me, but man can Hunter Shea write!! This was absolutely gut-wrenching, and that ending!! 

A Very Special Boy by Daniel Willcocks – 

While in hospice this special boy finds a friend. 

Oofh. Two gut-wrenching child tales back to back. This one hurt. 

Ordinary People by Rachel Harrison – 

Moving into a house with a dark past, this woman is determined to prove to her husband that everything will be fine. But when they move in, she realizes she was wrong. 

Another gut punch of a tale. Your heart will break over this situation. 

The Old College by Aaron Beauregard – 

This tale came with a trigger warning. Since the others with the same topic didn’t, I’m assuming this one is much more brutal. I skipped this one but I’m sure it was great! I appreciate the warning very very much! 

The Last Laugh by Graham Masterton & Late Mogielska – 

When her husband begins to say he’s being followed by a clown, this woman chalks his tales up to his alcohol problem. But things get more and more intense from there…

Ah, I love stories that give you a rational explanation right along with another bit of information that makes you keep thinking, well what if? This was brutal and terrifying! 

Afterwords & Acknowledgements by Kevin Kangas – 

I love learning about why an anthology was created! This was a wonderful wrap-up!

My Favorite Passages from Fear of Clowns A Horror Anthology: Coulrophobia Stories –

I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to his lips, like that smile could’ve gone wider, if he wanted.
— Quit Clowning Around by Clay McLeod Chapman

It’s amazing how fast one can run when death slows down to stare at you.
— Pop by Jonathan Lees

He whips around. Nothing. Because he’s just paranoid, or because the thing hunting him isn’t human, hasn’t been for a long time. It lives in the dead spot in his peripheral vision that he’ll never be quick enough to turn around and see.
— The Penthouse Suite At The Plague Pit Hotel by A.C. Wise

I knelt on the floor in a circle of clowns-of clues, of gifts-and I lit the candle, and I thought about how people are afraid of clowns. But Sarah was right-their only job is to make people smile, laugh. That’s why they exist. It’s the rest of us…we are terrifying. We’re the ones capable of unspeakable horrors.
It’s the ordinary people. The ones so hard to spot.
We taint the good and joyful because we’re undeserving. Because we’re evil.
— Ordinary People by Rachel Harrison

My Final Thoughts on Fear of Clowns A Horror Anthology: Coulrophobia Stories –

If you weren’t afraid of clowns before… you will be after reading this!