Clowns. Evil clowns.
They are luring children into the woods, into white panel trucks, down into the bowels of the sewer system. Sometimes they just appear out of nowhere, brandishing weapons.
At least that's the story on social media.
Fortunately it's all a bunch of hooey. Apparently this round of rumors started a couple of weeks ago in South Carolina and spread across to the U.S. via Facebook and other Internet sites.
The rumors even made their way to the Twin Cities, where police have had to field calls from residents concerned that delinquent refugees from some circus could be roaming our streets in search of prey.
This isn't the first time stories of creepy clowns have surfaced. Every few years something similar pops up-sometimes there are even photos, though they are most likely staged.
According to the documentary film "Killer Legends," which examined the phenomena in one of its segments-and included a look at Texarkana's own Phantom Killer in another-the evil clown craze can be traced back to notorious serial killer John Wayne Gacy, who would perform as a clown at parties and other events.
And it probably has something to do with Coulrophobia-the fear of clowns. It's said to be one of the more common phobias in our society.
Stephen King's novel "It" and the subsequent film version, in which an evil being takes the form of a clown, may have played a role as well.
Whatever the root, these latest weeds of misinformation and fear spread quickly. But there is nothing to fear. Local police have debunked the rumors.
Still, people being what they are, no doubt one or two folks out there are thinking it would be a grand prank to dress up and scare a few folks. Especially since Halloween is just a month away.
Bad idea.
We may not have killer clowns in town but we do have plenty of fear and plenty of firearms. We suspect anyone foolish enough to dress as a creepy clown might end up facing more than just a pie in the face.
And there is nothing funny about that.