The clown in Poltergeist (1982)

Most people are terrified of clowns, and Tobe Hooper’s Poltergeist gleefully taps into those primal fears in one of the most iconic horror sequences. The clown sitting in Robbie’s bedroom has a more vintage, over-exaggerated style. Its eyes have a white, arched outline with tiny, pale blue irises, rosy cheek circles, and a large, round, reddish-orange bulbous nose.

The mouth is etched into an unnerving grin. It’s nothing you’d ever want to play with, let alone have sitting in a chair directly facing you while you sleep! When Robbie lifts his head from his pillow to take another look at the clown, it’s gone. He slowly peers under the bed but sees nothing.

When he rises, Poltergeist delivers one of the biggest jump scares of all time as the possessed clown’s long, springy arms with candy-cane stripes coil around Robbie’s neck like a boa constrictor. The classic childhood fears of clowns, what’s hiding under the bed, and a dark, stormy night all collide in this freaky scene.