Nothing is scarier than an eerie clown face looking right at you. Why, though? Why do our brains draw the line at clowns?

Dressing up as a clown: Pulling on clown costume and face paint. Happy and sad clowns: Happy and sad clown faces. Silly clown walk: Silly walks using the whole body to make the audience laugh.

Bright smiles, funny faces, goofy laughs - clowns, in many forms, have been a source of entertainment for centuries. So when did they get so spooky? Cinematic clowns have a reputation for being ...