Viral videos have long been fruitless entertainment, from “Charlie bit my finger” to Psy’s “Gangnam Style.” Yet this halloween, things have taken a darker turn.

Around a month ago, articles started popping up of clowns trying to lure children into the woods and now more than two dozen states have reported clown sightings.

Clowns are appearing from Alabama to Wisconsin, and even the White House has addressed the viral trend of these clowns.

There have been multiple reportings and luckily few casualties. One man in a clown costume was shot in the face in Utah and a college student at Texas State University was almost grabbed by a clown in a campus housing complex.

Ronald McDonald, is laying low due to the backlash over clowns right now. The beloved clown won’t be making appearances in the U.S. until this clown craze dies down.

The clown sightings started in the U.S. but are expanding to other parts of the world. Sighting have been reported from the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada.

Some are speculating that these clown sightings are used for viral marketing. These clown sightings are going viral, yet I think it’s because people are scared and not due to the concoction of a businessman.

The instant fame of a viral video is appealing to some. Two teenagers in Salem were inspired to dress up as clowns after they saw a video of clowns online. They chased some women around in clown attire, which led to their arrest.

Yet since we live in the viral day and age, parody accounts such as #ifIseeaclown on Twitter and memes on social media have erupted like wildfire.

A clown lives matter facebook page has emerged, with its own #clownlivesmatter hashtag. Many professional clowns are upset about the negative connotation this brings to all clowns. Arizonians have taken it a step further by creating a ‘clown lives matter’ march where attendees are encouraged to wear full clown makeup and masks.

This Halloween, it might be best to choose a different costume than a clown.