Send in the (Evil) Clowns Trivia Quiz

Answer: Coulrophobia

Coulrophobia is a much more widespread phenomenon than people give credit. Scientific studies have proven that children especially are uncomfortable with clowns who hide their faces under layers of paint, and clown decorations in hospitals may frighten them.

In a famous example of coulrophobia, the British music festival Bestival, held in July 2006, had asked festival-goers to dress up as clowns. The organizers were forced to disband their request when they found out how many people attending the event were actually afraid of clowns.

Answer: Stephen King

Stephen King's "It" terrorizes the inhabitants of the town of Derry, Maine, especially a group of young outcasts who call themselves "The Losers." Although the monster appears in the form of whatever would scare its enemies, one of its preferred forms is as Pennywise the Clown.

After barely escaping with their lives while subduing It, the Losers part ways for 26 years. A new surge of murders in the town, committed allegedly by a violent clown, brings them back to Derry to battle the monster once and for all.

Answer: Michael Myers

Michael Myers, from the classic horror movie "Halloween" was so effective as an evil villain that the movie spawned seven different sequels and two remakes. The psychopathic criminal spends 15 years in a sanitarium before he escapes and returns home.

When he finds nobody there, Myers begins to follow Laurie Strode, a local teenager, and her friends around town, before beginning a murder spree. "Halloween" is generally considered a classic horror movie, especially for the establishment of first-person point of view that would dominate later slasher-films.

Answer: Wrestling

Doink the Clown is a so-called wrestling "gimmick." Doink debuted in the WWF in 1993, joking around with the fans and other wrestlers (examples: tripping people, dumping water on people's heads, attacking another wrestler with a prosthetic arm). After his original appearance, he became more of a comic character than an evil clown. Matt Osborne originated the Doink character, but he has been played by numerous wrestlers- the aforementioned Osborne and Keirn, as well as Steve Lombardi, Jeff Jarrett, and Dusty Wolfe.

Answer: Krusty

Krusty the Clown is a recurring character on "The Simpsons" and is the icon for several "Simpsons" products, including "Krusty-O's", a "Simpsons" ride at Universal Studios theme park, and nearly every kind of clown merchandise available. Krusty (who was established to be Jewish in the episode "Like Father, Like Clown") was even incorporated into the Jewish Museum in New York City, in the section for famous Jewish entertainers, in 2003. Krusty has run for Congress, made millions in advertising, and even has his own TV show.

The character is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and was inspired by a clown from Matt Groening's hometown.

Answer: Doctor Who

"Doctor Who" is one of the longest-running science fiction shows of all time, and certainly one of the most successful. The title character, the Doctor, was a mystery for the first few seasons; all that was certain was that he was exploring time and space through a British telephone kiosk. Show producers revealed later that he was actually on the run from his own species, Time Lords from the planet of Gallifrey.

The show premiered on November 23, 1963, (the day after the assassination of John F. Kennedy), and more than 10 actors have portrayed Doctor Who and his adventures.

Answer: Rob Zombie

Rob Zombie established the band "White Zombie," named after a 1932 film starring Bela Lugosi. He was nominated three times for a Grammy in Best Metal Performance, but he left his band in 1998 to begin directing horror films. "House of 1000 Corpses" and "The Devil's Rejects" are probably his most famous movies and include a character, Captain Spaulding, who wears clown makeup while killing innocent teenagers.

He also directed two remakes of the "Halloween" films.

Answer: Final Fantasy

"Final Fantasy" is a fantasy-based series of video games with role-playing options, diverse gameplay, and a large play base, as one of the best-selling game series in history. In 2009, the thirteenth "Final Fantasy" game was released and sold more than 5 million copies.

Originally designed as a last resort to save gaming company Square Enix from bankruptcy, the entire franchise has sold more than 80 million video games between 1987 and 2007.

Answer: John Wayne Gacy

Born in 1942, John Wayne Gacy began at the age of 30 a murder spree that has immortalized him as one of the worst American serial killers. Gacy was known to locals as a clown, and the investigation into the murders didn't begin until 1978, with the death of Robert Piest. Police investigators dug into the crawl space of Gacy's home and found the bones from 26 bodies; allegedly, Gacy began to dump the bodies of his victims into the Des Plaines River because he had run out of space in his crawl area.

He was sentenced to death by lethal injection and died on May 10, 1994.

Answer: Joker

The Joker is a psychopath and an evil genius, capable of cold-blooded murder (although he never kills Batman, because he only feels meaning in his life by fighting against him) on a grand scale. He ranked first in the "Wizard"'s top 100 comic book villains and is often considered one of the greatest movie villains as well.

Heath Ledger won a posthumous Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 2008 for his portrayal of the Joker in the film "The Dark Knight."