Behind The Sightings Explained- Is This A True Story And All Your Questions Answered

Behind the Sightings is a truly scary-found footage film that has finally got its release and the evil clown world and the real world are better for it.

The found footage film was slated to be released in 2017 but was delayed until 2021 due to creative differences surrounding the final cut. Behind the Sightings, which is no joke terrifying, begs several questions. It is posed as actual footage from a real documentary couple detailing the clown sightings all over the country in 2016. Both the drama behind the delay and the question of whether the footage is real swirl around the genuinely creepy film. Here is everything you need to know about the found footage gem.

The film opens with a horrifying chase through a house with increasingly scary and intrusive clowns tracking down a screaming young woman and presumably killing her. It next provides text that we are about to witness footage recovered from nearly 112 hours of Todd and Jessica Smith’s coverage. It hasn’t been altered with theatrical music or cuts and is aired untouched out of respect for the filmmakers. In terms of the subgenre’s pacing, it is what you would expect. A young, overly confident couple gets involved in tracking the clown sightings that captivated the world five years ago. They quickly find themselves embroiled in the story when chased and beaten on the trail by said clowns. Instead of backing off after the horrifying encounter, they double down and continue poking the literal bear. The final act is one long slide into a circus gone very wrong.

Between the film’s styling, the presentation as a true story, and the bizarre delay to the release based on the family of the supposed deceased displeasure, there is a lot to unpack about whether this is true, fake, or something in between. So here are all your questions answered.

Were clown sightings real?

Clown sightings were a real thing in 2016 and 2017 predominantly. First, in Green Bay, Wisconsin, stories started circulating about a terrifying figure in clown makeup on August 1st, 2016. Then, on August 21st, 2016 Greenville County, South Carolina, the story first broke of disturbing people dressed up as clowns harassing people. Sometimes they just wandered around and lurked in the shadows. Other times they whispered in the dark and banged on doors. Soon after these first sightings, clown hysteria spread across the country and eventually across the pond. All told clown sightings were reported in nearly every state and 19 other countries.

Since the ’80s, clowns would pop up from time to time, usually before Halloween, but they really upped their game in 2016. These clown sightings caused sheer panic based on nothing but their presence alone. There was only one actual report of violence associated with the sightings. In 1979 John Wayne Gacy was the original creepy clown, only he was not all show and no go. The real-life killer clown man killed 33 people before finally being caught.

Is fear of clowns real?

Fear of clowns is a real thing. Coulrophobia, the fear of clowns, is a potentially debilitating fear that affects 7.8% of the American population. This phobia has only gotten worse since the resurgence of clown sightings in 2016. Sometimes this phobia is caused by a traumatic event, but more times than not, there is no specific event. If you have this particular phobia, anything associated with clowns can cause fear. Balloons, carnivals, red balls, even the smell of popcorn can trigger an episode. If you have this phobia, you shouldn’t watch Behind the Sightings. Even if you weren’t scared of clowns before, this film would make you think twice now.

Do Behind the Scenes’s Todd and Jessica Smith exist?

The couple who shot the footage and found themselves in the middle of the story are, in fact, fictional. The film was directed and written by Tony Cadwell and Norman Alston. Although it was initially timed to capitalize on the very real clown sightings, there is nothing real about the Smiths, their footage, or their story.

Have their been any recent footage?

There have been additional clown sightings since 2016. As recently as early May 2021, there have been new sightings. In Annandale, Minneapolis, a clown started appearing in the town. He never did anything menacing, but it still freaked out the town, who couldn’t figure out his intentions. Some in the community believe he is there to scare people, while others think the clown is there to lighten the mood after such a terrible year. Regardless of his real motive, professional clowns aren’t happy with yet another clown maligning their chosen field. They believe the sightings only confuse the public about what the circus clown is all about.

Have clowns actually ever kill anyone?

Except for John Wayne Gacy, there have not been any mass clown killers. The mass murderer used his clown makeup to lure in unsuspecting victims as opposed to terrifying them. The clowns who popped up in 2016 served to scare people with their presence. However, on October 31st, 2016, a family in Florida was attacked by approximately 20 people dressed in clown masks and Purge-styled masks. No one died, and no arrests were made in the event. Following the sightings in 2016, mobs of people frequently grabbed guns and bats to “hunt” for the elusive clown creepers.

Found footage films are for a very specific fan base. You either love them or hate them. Some genuinely scary ones like Lake Mungo and some that have the power to scare even years later, like the original Blair Witch. Behind the Sightings is one of the rare found footage films that are genuinely scary. It strangely also benefitted from the murky release push back which should have killed the film but, for some weird reason, actually made the mystery of the true story more compelling. You can catch it now on Amazon Prime.