Name That Trauma :: Reader Chad on a Creepy Clown on the Side of the Road

Hi there!

My name is Chad and I was just admiring kindertrauma very much. I have been looking for a horror movie that has haunted me since my video store renting childhood. I've forgotten the name of it, and with the decline of VHS it is getting harder and harder to solve the mystery. I can only give a few details that I remember (vaguely) and if anything rings a bell, I would be much appreciative to hear back from you.

The movie came out in the late ‘80s, possibly very early ‘90s. It involves teenagers driving through a strange small town. There is a brief, and virtually unnecessary appearance of a clown on the side of the road, holding up a sign that reads something along the lines of: "YOU'RE GOING TO DIE" which one of the teens reads out loud and queries: "That's strange." The clown and the sign are also on the box art, which is one of the few things I remember about the physical video box.

I also remember a few sleazy scenes, including an old stripper who gets groped by two old patrons. Also it is eluded that one of the teens has a physically romantic moment with a freshly murdered teenage body in a bathtub off-screen.

I apologize for not giving much to work on, plot wise, for I barely remember the point of the movie deep in the abyss of horror videos I viewed before hitting puberty. But I can guess, judging from what I do know is that the town is full of old people who murder young passersbys for whatever reason.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and if you can think of a title that resembles this I would love to hear back from you!

Sincerely,

Chad

UPDATE: NAME THAT TRAUMA SOLVED! Special thanks to reader craig for knowing that the clown in question is from THE AMERICAN SCREAM.