Clowns have always had a creepy connotation, even though their main intent is to entertain. Something about a person walking around wearing bright obscuring paint on their face is simply unsettling. Now, these clowns have traded makeup and smiles for masks and terror.

The sightings began in late August in Greenville, South Carolina. Allegedly someone dressed as a clown tried to lure children into the woods. The kid's parents intervened and shortly after that, a clown was spotted by a dumpster in the same area.

As of September 30, clown sightings have been reported in 28 states; however, that number is growing. Every hour, people are reporting new sightings, a majority of them coming from social media. Most of these encounters are harmless, although some have turned dangerous.

One morning, two joggers went running on a local bike path. After spotting a clown, one of the joggers asked him what he was doing. The clown's response? Chasing the two with a knife. Not only are these encounters dangerous for the public, but they are also becoming increasingly dangerous for the people dressing as clowns too.

On October 6th, in Newark, New Jersey a man disguised in a clown suit was shot and killed. Apparently, after a man had seen the prankster lurking on the streets at 10:30 p.m., the driver got out of his car, shot the clown multiple times, then drove away. He was later taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.

Also, these clowns have made their way onto college campuses. On the night of October 3rd, Merrimack College in Massachusetts ordered a shelter-in-place and an evacuation of a dorm after a clown was reported on campus. It turned out to be a hoax but the threat was taken very seriously. Clown hysteria also made its way to Penn State's campus. Once again, after a clown was reported on the campus via social media, masses of students took to the streets in search of the prankster. It was never found and is believed to have been just another hoax.

What's important to remember is that most of these "enclownters" have been harmless. People are dressing up either to copy the first sighting in South Carolina and to join in the hysteria, or they disguise themselves because Halloween is right around the corner and they want to get a head start on the creepy antics that are associated with the holiday.

Also, most of the sightings are being reported via social media, meaning the sources are not always reliable. A lot of these sightings have been fake, but the fear they are causing has been completely real.