| Afraid of Clowns | |
|---|---|
| Season 1, Episode 14 | |
| |
| Air date | March 19, 2011 |
| Written by | Jed Elinoff Scott Thomas, story by Billy Brown & Dan Angel |
| Directed by | Peter DeLuise |
| Episode Guide | |
| Previous The Black Mask |
Next My Sister the Witch |
Afraid of Clowns is the fourteenth episode of R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: The Series. It is based on the short story of the same name from Nightmare Hour.
Summary[]
Chris' childhood coulrophobia (fear of clowns) is put to the test when the circus comes to town and the clowns begin stalking him. Is Chris just anxious over his upcoming 13th birthday or do the clowns have something sinister in store?
Plot[]
Chris wants to celebrate his 13th birthday with Danica, his crush. But after she invites him to see "Kaptain Krazee's Clown Show" at the local carnival, Chris turns down her offer, as he carries a deadly fear of clowns from when he was little.
His best friend, Finch tells him there's no logical reason to be afraid of clowns. Yet Chris is still convinced that clowns are out to get him. As he rides his bike home, Chris notices a car slowly following him, he yells at the unseen driver, demanding a reason for his or her stalking. Much to Chris' horror a gang of creepy clowns step out of the car claiming "they are there for him" and one of them even knew his name. As he ran home, Chris tried to convince his father that clowns were after him, but he doesn't believe him at all saying clowns are entertain people and make them laugh.
The next day after turning thirteen, Chris finally decides to face his fears and goes see the clown show with Danica. That night during the show, Kaptain Krazee and the other clowns pick Chris to be their special volunteer for the final performance. Chris tries to run away but it is too late, as clowns grab him and trap him in a big jack in the box that they spin around really fast as soon as Chris was trapped in it.
As the clowns open the box, Chris came out with what seemed to be clown makeup stuck to his face and a wig on his head. Freaked out, he runs backstage. He tries to take it off, but to Chris' horror it does not come off. He gets an unexpected visit from his parents, who reveal that clowns are a humanoid species, themselves being clowns who wear human masks to blend into society, telling Chris that he is a clown too. All the clowns wish Chris a happy birthday and corner a horrified (and probably mentally/emotionally disturbed) Chris with a set of new clown clothes, as he is now one of them.
Cast[]
- Jake Cherry as Chris
- James Alan Hartley as Six Year Old Chris
- Chelah Horsdal as Chris' Mom
- Benjamin Ratner as Chris' Dad
- David B. Brown as Party Clown
- Sam Dulmage as Driver Clown
- Jeffrey Kaiser as Red Haired Clown
- Annette Devick as Short Clown
- Dar Therrien as Jayden
Differences from the story[]
- There is no Danica in the story
- The story had Chris being told by the clowns that they are all evil monsters and they capture kids that are afraid of clowns, as they can tell that they are really evil. They more directly assault Chris, in front of everyone.
- The twist of Chris and his family being clowns was not present in the story.
- The story ends with Chris giving up and joining the evil group of clowns. There is a small time skip to sometime later as he targets kids along with the others.
Trivia[]
- This episode is unique, in that most stories with this type of twist have the protagonist be fine with it, while this ends with Chris still afraid.
- This is the one of the last episodes to be written by Jed Ellioff and Scott Thomas, as their next and final episode wouldn't be until a couple seasons later with Dead Bodies.
Video(s)[]
The Haunting Hour - Afraid of Clowns
Image Gallery[]
