You’ve heard about them on the news and you’ve seen posts about them on social media. Clowns have been the talk of the town lately, and it’s not because they’re bringing laughter to our hearts. It’s because most of us are terrified.

It started off as a few pranksters dressed as clowns, standing in various locations frightening people who drive or walk by. Now these creepy clowns have reached a whole new level of horror. There’s no proof of any actual murders, but there has been threats on social media from user claiming to be one of the killer clowns.

Can 2016 get anymore weird?

Is there a reason why this is happening or is it just another thing to add to the list of weird things that are happening and inconvenient things this year? Perhaps the people behind these clown mask have an agenda, but no one can deny that this year’s Halloween might be filled with more clown costumes than ever before. Not including the much anticipated Harley Quinns that’ll be running around.

Aside from the upcoming holiday, the clown threats are great publicity for an upcoming film as well. For those of you who are enjoying this, rest assured that the murderous clowns won't be left in 2016.

"It" is coming in 2017!

Some people think this entire situation is reminiscent of “The Purge: Election Year” based on the fact that 2016 is the year the U.S will elect its next president, but if you look back even further, you might remember a movie even more similar to this. Steven King’s “It” was released in theaters more than fifteen years ago, but the remake of the film is set to release around this time next year. September, 8th to be exact.

The original film was about an evil demon who can shape-shift into a clown. The demon likes to feed on children's fears and kill them. A group of children get together to defeat this demonic clown, but it returns years later when they’re adults. The film gave many viewers a deep fear of clowns known now as coulrophobia. The same fear could be resurfacing in this generation thanks to the epidemic of scary clowns on the loose.

Hollywood Loves The Clowns

The remake is set to follow the same plot as the original. A group of kids will once again fight off the evil clown know as Pennywise. But if Hollywood is paying attention, they’re probably loving this free publicity and in the process of changing the script so that it relates more to the events of this year.

The trailer will no doubt be created to be as reminiscent of the current clown threats as possible. Of course that’s not what the movie will be entirely about. There’s no way Steven King’s story can be trimmed and modernized so much it runs off the track into a whole new plot. But movie goers will be hyped about a movie about an evil clown because that’s what’s trending. We shouldn’t be surprised if the movie’s release date gets pushed up so that the hot topic doesn’t simmer down.

So, the killer clowns aren’t good for us, but they’re great publicity for Hollywood. For those of you who wish this whole thing was over, be prepared for more clown drama next year.