Wrinkles the Clown

What started off as YouTube video of a clown sliding out from underneath a little girls bed in 2015 turned an unknown man into a viral fascination across Florida.

Wrinkles the Clown is based on an unnamed man who dresses up as a horrifying looking clown and pimps himself out to parents to scare their misbehaving children. If that sentence doesn't sound terrifying enough, then all you need do is to have one look at this guy you'll instantly understand what nightmares are made of.

The documentary goes around to the people across Florida, and we hear their personal opinions and encounters with Wrinkles. The crew interview the man behind the clown makeup, but keep his face out of every camera frame to withhold his identity and build mystery. He goes on to explain how Wrinkles became a character and the responses he has received from the community. Most interviews are focused on the younger children who either share a strong hatred toward Wrinkles or surprisingly idolise the clown. Some kids even go to the lengths of wanting to be just like Wrinkles. A role model if you dare to label.

The documentary doesn't really reveal too much and honestly left me questioning if I learnt anything from Wrinkles besides him being an old man living every day like it's Halloween and scaring young children to make a quick buck. A very interesting choice that may be linked to the clown sightings back in 2016 where people disguised themselves as clowns around schools, side of the road and nearby forests, and would scare anybody who crossed their path.

The idea of Wrinkles the Clown as a character and his objective is interesting, but I feel as though it would've been better off as a small Netflix series that dug deeper into the life and secrets of this man and his stories. I'm intrigued by this mysterious story as I felt there could've been more to share, but on the other hand I wouldn't lose any sleep if I never heard of this character again.