Hulu’s ‘Clown Panic’ documentary pays homage to the horror genre, including Easter eggs for horror fans

“Often the way that people described their experiences of these clowns, it kind of sounded straight out of a horror movie.”

Hulu’s new documentary, “Clown Panic,” digs into the 2016 clown phenomenon when clowns were mysteriously popping up and scaring people all over the country.

“The entire country was covered in these clown sightings,” director Ed Perkins told On The Red Carpet. “Our film is really about the response to that. How did America respond to all those clown sightings? And, what does fear do? What does it make us feel? But also, what does that make us capable of doing when we’re scared for our safety.”

Feeling scared isn’t the only emotion “Clown Panic” will invoke, according to producer Jonathan Chinn, “It’s also a very entertaining film. As much as there are serious themes: it’s scary, it’s funny, it’s sad, it’s tragic. You experience all the emotions in watching the film.”

Perkins explained what it was like sharing real people’s real-life stories, “It was fascinating to go back there and respectfully talk to people about their fears, and their anxieties, and the way that that kind of projected onto these clowns. I think if you want to understand modern America, this film is a great way to do that.”

“Clown Panic,” debuting as a part of Huluween’s programming, fittingly also pays homage to the horror genre.

“Often the way that people described their experiences of these clowns, it kind of sounded straight out of a horror movie. So, the kind of creative challenge for us, the joy for us was imagining all these people who are telling us these stories of what they experienced: what would they look and feel like if indeed they were in a horror movie? Hopefully for horror fans, there are kind of Easter eggs hidden in the film, some subtle, some not so subtle, because we’re really trying to pay homage to that genre,” Perkins explained.

For more on how “Clown Panic” is a “cautionary tale,” check out the interview above!

Watch “Clown Panic” streaming now on Hulu. The documentary is included in Hulu’s annual horror streaming lineup, Huluween.

The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of Hulu and this station.