Hysteria: Killer clown craze hits tattoo parlors

Hannah Ferrett
The Sun, UK
Sat, 15 Oct 2016 09:44 UTC

Now people have started getting permanent tributes to creepy clowns etched on their bodies

© Via Instagram@belfasttatoocollective

Clowns have barely been out of the news in recent weeks, with seemingly ever-more horrifying incidents involving people dressed as them each day.

In Sweden, a teenager was stabbed by a violent jester in the middle of the street, and Childline has reported a massive surge in calls from kids who've been left frightened by the phenomenon.

Not everyone is so scared though, as this new tattoo craze shows. People have been paying homage to the killer clown trend with spooky inkings etched on their skin. The trend seems to be for tattoos of creepy clowns, with black-and-white and just a hint of colour the most popular.

Of course, not everyone goes down that route. An Instagram account called Realistic Tattoo Art posted an amazingly intricate tattoo which was done in full colour on someone's back. It showed It, the horrifying clown who's the central character in Stephen King's novel, nestled in a tree and with a bunch of balloons in the background.

© Via Instagram@realistictattooart

Of course not all the tattoos being shown off on social media are quite so terrifying.

This one posted by Jordan Baker was described as an "old favourite" and probably won't make it into your nightmares.

© Via Instagram@thebakery

The same can't be said for many of the other pictures added to Instagram though. From horrifically lifelike versions to cartoonish ones which still send shivers down the spine, it seems this is one trend which is going to keep on growing.

© Via Instagram@raulparrafernandez

The killer clown trend started in America, with people deciding to dress as the ghoulish characters ahead of Halloween at the end of the month. As most things do it quickly made its way across the pond to the UK where it seemed to pick up steam.

While there are many theories about why the clown craze started, at the moment police are more concerned with stopping people getting involved with it.

© Via Instagram@maxtatooz

© Via Instagram@yesid_tattoo

Comment: See also:

• New study shows people with tattoos tend to be angrier
• The Hidden Risks of Getting a Tattoo
• The psychology of tattoo acquisition