coulrophobia

Any residual coulrophobia - fear of clowns - is comfortably cured, however, in between nervous glances at watches and perhaps a stifled yawn.

* An estimated 7.92 million Brits have coulrophobia or better known as a 'phobia of clowns'

If you feel like a laugh, Coulrophobia might be a better bet.

There's a recognised phobia -- coulrophobia -- that some kids have, and even some of the parents have too.

A sharp-eyed Twitter user by the name of @Safwankp9 spotted the placement of a full-sized print that would be enough to inspire coulrophobia in a K-pop music video, to the surprise and delight of Malaysians on social media.

Coulrophobia, or the fear of clowns, is still a common element of commercial haunts, as is the fear of hockey masks, dismemberment and torture.

Stephen King harnessed the fear of clowns, coulrophobia with It, a bestselling novel that became a hit horror movie based on a nightmarish, murderous alien spider-clown that preys on little boys and girls.

Fear of clowns is colloquially referred to as "coulrophobia." (https://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2016/oct/14/coulrophobia-why-clowns-trigger-our-fear-reflexes) Several theories exist as to why so many people are deeply afraid of clowns or feel anxiety around them.

and Barnum and Bailey Circus in the 1970s, argues that the fear of clowns - known officially as coulrophobia - is a relatively new phenomenon, born from the counter-culture 1960s and emerging as a popular force in the 1980s.

AN Irish facility is offering free therapy to people who suffer from coulrophobia - a fear of clowns.

There were exceptions though - in particular those who suffer from very real condition known as coulrophobia whose sufferers are terrified of clowns and for whom a face to face meeting with one can lead them to serious psychological repercussions.

A phobia of clowns is known as coulrophobia and one of the reasons people find clowns so scary is thought to be down to the way the costumes and make-up exaggerate facial features.