As Halloween quickly approaches (has anyone else starting decorating, well, everything?), there are some spooky things going on in the world. Namely, clowns. And who doesn't find clowns at least remotely creepy?

Well, in case you've been purposefully distancing yourself from every social media platform, and even possibly your own local news station, then maybe you don't know: clowns are everywhere. We don't know why and we don't know where they came from, but we know this: they're scaring people.

It all started in Greenville, South Carolina, when two clowns allegedly tried to lure a small boy into a formerly-abandoned house in the woods. Since then, these clowns have been popping up everywhere: Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, California... most reports of sightings are peaceful: while it's unnerving to be walking down a path and see a clown just chilling out by a tree, you're not really in any danger, right? Wrong. There have been reported kidnappings, attempted or otherwise. The people beneath the costumes, or even people that just want to cause trouble, play into the crowd mentality by getting people hyped and afraid on social media through threats.

Did this start as a joke? And is so, how exactly did it get this far?

To figure out why we're so freaked out over the initial clown sightings, we have to travel back to our early childhoods. Is it the mask? The goofy smile? The vividly unfamiliar face? Imagine being a tiny tot walking through a circus and seeing a clown staring down at you with that unchanging grin. I'd fear that, too, and it's a known belief that childhood fears can lead to lifetime phobias.

The correct term for a fear of clowns is Coulrophobia, if anyone wanted to put a name to their anxiety.

Pop culture certainly doesn't do clowns any favors though, especially with characters like American Horror Story's Twisty, Zombieland's literal zombie clown, and even the new version of Pennywise from the 2017 version of Stephen King's It.

By the way, the man himself has commented on these clown sightings, literally requesting that we all cool down. When one of the biggest promoters of clown terror is telling us to stop the madness, it's time to listen.

So, where will the next sighting be?

Your guess is as good as mine, but the public certainly isn't having any of it.

To conclude,

Be safe, and no matter how clever you think you might be, don't be a clown for Halloween. Stephen King just wants us to chill and have a good time.