ENTRY 13: THE CLOWN (Kenneth Chase, alias Jeffrey Hawk)
"Using his Afterpiece concoctions, The Clown can steer Survivors into dangerous areas and shorten chases. His purple bottle emits a cloud of noxious gas that disorients, slows down, and hinders Survivors. Throwing the yellow bottle requires foresight, as anyone who passes through the gas experiences a speed burst."
LORE SUMMARY: Kenneth's mother died in childbirth, and his neglectful father was too busy drinking to tell his son that while there's nothing terribly wrong with collecting bird feathers, it's not really normal for each one to be a commemorative trophy you kept because you get off on killing birds with your bare hands. As he grew older, Kenneth expanded to larger animals, always keeping one piece of each, until one day his father found the collection...and a recently added human finger.
Kenneth ran away, and eventually joined (you guessed it) a traveling circus, which became a cover for his ongoing "hobby," borrowing a clown costume to disguise himself as he collected fingers from all manner of hapless victims.
LORE SUMMARY: Kenneth's mother died in childbirth, and his neglectful father was too busy drinking to tell his son that while there's nothing terribly wrong with collecting bird feathers, it's not really normal for each one to be a commemorative trophy you kept because you get off on killing birds with your bare hands. As he grew older, Kenneth expanded to larger animals, always keeping one piece of each, until one day his father found the collection...and a recently added human finger.
Kenneth ran away, and eventually joined (you guessed it) a traveling circus, which became a cover for his ongoing "hobby," borrowing a clown costume to disguise himself as he collected fingers from all manner of hapless victims.
We're back for entry 13, but day 20, with deebeedee's token murderclown! Kenneth is one of the killers who see more eye-to-eyes with The Entity. Another that just loves being part of its realm and doesn't need to be possessed, coerced or deluded to eagerly take part in its cycle of mayhem. It figures this would be the case for Dead by Daylight's obligatory Evil Clown, with clowns having an unfortunate murdery reputation since John Wayne Gacy shocked the nation. Personally speaking, I do wish that regular non-murdery clowns weren't constantly pigeonholed as "creepy" in western media and we could go back to thinking most clowns are wholesome and silly, but I also think they can and should coexist peacefully with Clown Horror. A clown is a morally neutral character archetype that can make for an interesting hero or an interesting villain, and a menacing twist on something innocent is always going to be a fundamental of horror! I guess I got a little sidetracked there, but I may as well leave in this clown tangent because there's never really a bad time for a clown tangent, is there? I didn't think so.
The thing about Dead by Daylight's clown, however, is that he's a fake anyway! He didn't actually perform as a clown in the circus, but as an acrobat! He just chose the clown disguise for funsies! Funsies, and perhaps to frame the real clowns he worked with. He does eventually come to embrace a killer clown as his "true" persona, never taking the costume off again in the entity's realm...assuming it's still a costume at all at that point.
The Clown's in-game advantages are a greater than average speed when vaulting himself over obstacles, which is usually an advantage survivors have to escape a chase. His special power, on the other hand, is to hurl bottles of what he calls his "afterpiece tonic," releasing clouds of purple gas that intoxicates survivors just by breathing it. This slows them down even more, impairs their vision, and tips off the killer to their general direction whenever they cough, like any sound set off by a survivor.
If they were going to have a murder guy dressed like a clown, I like that his thing is being a bit more athletic and making noxious purple gas. This filthy, brutish carnival worker is pretty much the class "realistic" killer clown you might see in non-supernatural horror movies. I also appreciate that his design is a sad clown, with dark drooping eye makeup and a dour, exhausted frown, which is definitely an eerie look for a guy that's actually having twisted fun, and cooler than the usual cackling fang-mouthed Evil Clown. However, I think fans of evil clowns are still owed a second take from this game. Where's the killer clown with truly clown-centric powers and weapons? Killer Klowns From Outer Space already got its own multiplayer video game, so we'll probably never see one of them in Dead by Daylight, but basically exactly that. I just don't know what they'd call it if "The Clown" is already taken as a character's name. Maybe The Pierrot?
BEST SKIN(S):
"SEETHING ENTERTAINER:" Kenny's seasonal Blight Skin is pretty cool, his human facial features replaced by rotten cavities pouring and pouring that luminous pus stuff. The "blight" that afflicts the entity is also associated with otherworldly flowers that invade its tissues, so of course the cheerful flower he usually wears on his jacket is replaced by one of the more fungus-looking parasite blooms.
"LETHAL TRICK:" If you'd rather a more traditional, Spirit Halloween sort of murderclown, this skin totally remodels his head to have wilder purple hair, bulging yellow pupil-less eyeballs and a gaping, fang-filled grin, one of his few other skins that appears to be nonhuman. It's also one of his few with traditional, brightly colored birthday clown clothes.
"PAGGLIACCIO:" The second most unsettling one, in my opinion. This outfit features a baggy, all jumpsuit with pom poms down the chest, a frilly neck collar, and what appears to be a flesh "jester's cap," the two horn-like prongs growing out of his hairless cranium. What I think makes it so effective is the entire ensemble, head and flesh hat and all, being the same pasty white except for the black pompoms, bloodstains, blood red makeup (if it is makeup) for his mouth and nose, and those little blank yellow eyes.
"SUMMER FUN FAIR:" The first most unsettling one, in my opinion. It's another relatively plain and ordinary clown outfit sans the grody stains, which are even worse here by being brown, but the face is simple white mask with small, round black holes for eyes, a round red nose and painted, serenely smiling purple lips. It doesn't try to look overtly menacing and lacks any strong emotional expression, which is just slightly more distressing than any of the others here.
"PULCINELLA:" This is based on a classic 17th century comedy figure that featured prominently in puppet shows, one of those older stock characters that helped contribute to the whole modern idea of what a clown is supposed to be, though Pulcinella was more of a slovenly, licentious ruffian than a silly jokester. Kenneth's Pulcinella costume looks lifted straight from the period, at least to people like me who are not experts in period clothing, but what makes it is the leathery, saggy puppet head mask with its blank, walleyed stare.
"MR. PUDDLES:" Definitely the most entertaining option in his current wardrobe, a grimy purple low-budget mascot outfit of a pinkish purple elephant, an obvious reference to his alcoholism, with goofy eyeballs that stare straight up, a protruding tongue and a long dangly trunk. The entire thing looks hilariously cheap with its obvious stitching, low quality felt construction and awkward head shape, a charming homemade feel rather than a professional theme park sort of costume.
