Clowns are constantly being shown to us in movies, sometimes as major characters (such as Pennywise in IT) but more often as smaller roles and even just flashes of subliminal imagery. This series, “Clowns in Film & Movies,” shows examples of this horrifying reality.

Today it’s Shakes the Clown (1992). Arguably the great Drunk Clown Movie ever made, this film can be admired because it doesn’t try to pass clowns off as symbols of goodwill. Director and star Bobcat Goldthwait shows clowns for exactly what they are: drunk screw-ups.