Creepster Northampton clown stares down British town
A silent, staring clown is scaring the British town of Northampton. Here, a clown poses prior to a show of the UniverSoul Circus at National Harbor, Maryland on June 16, 2013.
Creeped out by clowns? Then don't go to Northampton, a British town that's being haunted by a mysterious staring clown since Friday the 13th, according to The Northampton Herald & Post.
Apparently, the clown has been showing up at random places and times all over town, giving rise to a Facebook tracking campaign called "Spot Northampton's Clown."
The page had nearly 70,000 likes as of this writing, which, if all local, would account for nearly 1 in 3 Northamptoners.
"He is also sometimes seen carrying a clown teddy," noted The Independent.
Less amusing is the clown's eerie resemblance to a demonic character in the 1990 film "It" based on horror maestro Stephen King’s novel.
One local woman supposedly said the clown wanted to paint her windowsill even though he had no materials to do so, according to The Daily Mail. If true, it would be the only reported instance of him actually speaking.
Other than the Stephen King thing, the clown seems like an ordinary clown. He shows up in the same red wig and big bow-tie every time. But he "doesn't juggle," said the Herald & Post.
"He doesn't twist balloons into animal shapes. He just stares."
While he's busy creeping people out, the Twitter hashtag #northamptonclown has been equally active — evidence that Northampton-incuded clown panic is spreading well beyond the small British town:
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