I was walking on the ground, I didn’t make a sound
And then I turned around, I saw a clown
Clown
Clowny clown clown
– Crispin Glover, “Clowny Clown Clown”
Clowns. They’re beloved by some (we assume), and feared by others. They’re both whimsical performance artists (?) and stock horror-movie baddies. But even if the technical term for fear of clowns is part of your everyday vocabulary (it’s “coulrophobia,” by the way), that doesn’t mean clowns don’t have fears of their own.
Enter “Nightmares Of A Clown.” It’s a live, one-night-only screening of—buckle up for this—”16mm school and church films featuring clowns and their deepest fears.” It’s the twisted creation of rare/bizarre film collector Skip Elsheimer of A/V Geeks. It’s coming to the Avalon Theater on Wednesday, December 4. It sounds terrifying, disturbing, altogether wrong, and right up our alley.
Here are the films Skip will be screening and discussing:
• If Mirrors Could Speak: Witness the chaos as misbehaving kids confront their clownish reflections in the classroom.
• Toothache Of A Clown: Experience the wild, nitrous-induced fever dream of a clown battling a terrible toothache.
• Parable: Learn how this film short, made for the 1964 World’s Fair Protestant Church pavilion resulted in condemnation by Robert Moses, city architect and fair planner, and death threats.
• Mark Of The Clown: The mysteries of Holy Communion are now easy to understand thanks to a congregation of clowns!
The 90-minute program begins at 8 p.m. Reserved seating tickets are $11, and are available HERE.
See you there! Oh, and here’s that Crispin Glover song/video. Consider it for your pre-show entertainment.
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