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The Clöyne was an ancient demon residing in mountain caves in the Nordic regions of Europe.
The legend stated that he was the origin of the look of the Clown itself-its bloody red nose blistered from the cold, its pale snow-like completion with no sunlight, a horn on its head resembling a funny party hat, and large feet that inspired the size and shape for clown boots.
The creature would lure children into its cave with funny tricks, laughter, anything to gain a child's trust-only to devour them on the spot. Somehow the Clöyne was caught and most likely decapitated - as it is revealed that the head, hands, and feet dissolve once his head is cut off, leaving only its hair, skin, and nose.
Herbert's trunk used for holding the Clöyne's costume.
After the true story of the Clöyne was forgotten the faint memories of him would inspire the tradition of the clown, while his remaining body parts were made into a costume; his red nose and snow-white skin becoming a suit while its hair became a rainbow-colored wig.
Centuries later, and by accident, Herbert Karlsson, the founder, and owner of a 1970s costumes/textiles company called Karlsson Costumes and brother of the cancer treatment specialist, Dr. Martin Karlsson, discovered the costume when he received it from an Icelandic aristocrat at an estate sale.
Originally intending to sell the costume to Russia's Moscow Circus, Herbert decided instead to give the children at his brother's hospital hope by wearing the costume to cheer them up. Unfortunately, the costume slowly began to possess and change him, and his brother Martin after realizing this began a search for a cure. In the end, Martin succeeded in his search however the solution he discovered came at a terrible price. In order to free his brother he had to give in and give the Clöyne demon what he wanted: five Children for it to feast on, one for every month of the long Icelandic Winter, something Martin accomplished by giving him dying patients from the hospital he worked at.
Upon doing this Herbert was freed of the costume without any knowledge of what he had done, but a guilt-ridden Martin told him of the situation, and both vowed to destroy it. However no matter what they did, be it burning it or dissolving it in acid, the costume would not be destroyed. So Martin kept it in Herbert's suitcase and chained in his basement.
Later in the year 2014, Martin died and real estate agent Kent McCoy, who is a loving husband and father, was hired to sell the property. As luck would have it Kent's management of the property began around the same time as his son Jack's 7th birthday party, something which was supposed to feature a clown. At the last moment, however, the clown scheduled to appear was accidentally sent to another party due to a double booking and Jack's party was set to be a tragic disaster. Yet just before this could happen Kent discovered the clown "costume" in Martin's basement and decides to wear it to become a replacement clown to entertain Jack and his friends.
After the party, Kent fell asleep still wearing the clown costume, but the next morning, he discovered he is no longer able to take it off. He feels that the bodysuit, wig, and red nose are slowly and progressively adhering to his skin. Even his wife Meg begins to realize something was off as when she tries to help Kent remove the fake nose it rips from his flesh wounding him. As more time passes even more physical symptoms begin to manifest, in addition to an intense insatiable hunger, he begins coughing up rainbow-colored blood and his skin becomes paler.
Trying to understand what is happening to him, Kent decides to track down the previous owner of the costume, Herbert. When Kent goes to Herbert for help in removing it, Herbert invites him over to his warehouse only to trick him and drug him. He then tries unsuccessfully to decapitate Kent in an attempt to stop the Clöyne from hurting anyone else.
Kent, believing Herbert insane escapes and kidnaps him intending to take him to the police station. Before he can do that, Kent is forced to move away from his family after breaking his brother-in-law's arm after he tries to rip his "wig" off. Now isolated from his family Kent attempts to drive Herbert to the police station, only for Kent's hand and foot to begin to grow bigger, and Herbert to try and kill him again resulting in their car crashing.
Kent, now aware of his nature tries to fight his new instincts and hunger as they continue to grow stronger and stronger-resulting in him biting a young boy's fingers off at a camp and almost eating a child in a restroom stall. This causes Kent to finally contemplate suicide. He goes into a motel that is on one of his properties and shoots himself in the mouth, but this proves to be unsuccessful. He later tries to decapitate himself with a power saw, only to accidentally kill a child (who had been bugging him earlier) with it and eats his body afterward. Meg finds Kent and takes him home where she chains him in the basement. When she leaves, Kent (now under the influence of the Clöyne) tricks Jack into letting him loose, so he can kill a bully at his school-something he succeeds in doing so.
Meg tries to understand what is afflicting her husband and attempts to help him fight against the demon that is dominating his body. After Herbert rescues her from her dog, Shadow, who had become possessed after eating the Clöyne nose she had removed from Kent earlier, Meg teams up with Herbert with the intent to free Kent, or alternatively to decapitate him should the rescue attempt fail.
Meg and Herbert manage to track the Clöyne to a local Chuck E. Cheese where he kills two more kids. After the Clöyne overpowers and knocks Herbert out, he makes a deal with Meg that it will release Kent if she offers him the final child sacrifice. Otherwise, he would devour their son Jack next. Meg, puzzled at first, then seems to give in to the demon's blackmail but finally renounced her intention-just in time to realize that it was a false deal to distract her while he sought out Jack.
Racing home Meg discovers the clown had beat her there and killed Jack's grandfather by ripping off his jaw. A fight then breaks out with Meg fighting her demon-possessed husband not only to save Jack but also herself due to the demon discovering her previously hidden pregnancy and being drawn to the unborn child. After a long chase inside the house, Meg is able to chain the demon, then knocking its head mostly off with a sledge hammer, before finally killing it for good by forcibly tearing the demon's head the rest of the way off when it attempts to attack her son one last time.
In the end, the accursed costume is last seen packed up to be analyzed by the police as evidence from the crime scene, leaving it unknown as to whether or not the demon will stay dead, or whether the nightmare would resume again should a new "wearer" come across the flesh of the Clöyne and don it.
Personality[]
The Clöyne is an extremely treacherous, manipulative, predatory, destructive and callous demon. This monster is capable of playing on or toying with a person's emotions. Whether or not the being had to feast on children for survival does not excuse his sadistic and dangerous behavior - given he went beyond such heinous and flagitious actions by forcing Kent McCoy to brutally murder his father-in-law, and going so far as to try have him devour the fetus of his unborn child and later his own son Jack - with full intent of killing more children afterwards - all for little to no reason other than petty cruelty.
While the Clöyne may have let Herbert Karlsson go when his brother gave it what it demanded, even this proved more of a curse than a blessing for Herbert given he wished Martin had killed him instead, as he had to live with the fact that he devoured 5 children.
Added to this cruelty and evidenced by the preternatural curse of the iniquitous fiend, the Clöyne can play off the affection and emotions of other creatures, as it is also said to be capable of infecting through other body parts as he did with the McCoy family's pet dog Shadow with its nose, proving that even the smallest piece carries the curse.
Trivia[]
An ancient drawing of the Clöyne devouring children.
According to the drawings of Clöyne, the demon might have been around since the medieval times. Other drawings depict the Clöyne appearing during the Renaissance Period and modern times (most likely of Bert Karlsson when he was possessed by the costume).
The inspiration for this demon may have been the Idlirvirissong of Inuit mythology. Idlirvirissong is a demonic, evil spirit usually depicted as a clown, with a nose "turned up on the side." Idlirvirissong owns many dogs, and together with them Idlirvirissong lives in a house in the sky, where she awaits the arrival of the newly deceased. When the deceased arrive, Idlirvirissong will dance while saying "Qimitiaka nexessaqtaqpaka" ("I am looking for food for my dogs"). Those who laugh at Idlirvirissong and her dance will have their bodies cut open, and their intestines placed on a Idlirvirissong's plate called qengmerping and be fed to the dogs. Those who do not laugh are spared.
It is shown in one of the ancient drawings that Bert Karlsson wasn't the first host to fall victim to the costume.
In November 2010, it was announced that Eli Roth would produce the film based on a faux movie trailer that used his name. Roth spoke about the film, saying: "I loved how ballsy they were, issuing a trailer that said, 'From the Master of Horror, Eli Roth', Some people thought I'd made the movie, or that it was another fake Grindhouse trailer…I really felt these guys deserved a shot, and that people are truly freaked out by evil clowns. Its new territory to make this a version of The Fly, where this guy can feel himself changing, blacking out only to find blood all over his clown suit. You're sympathetic toward a monster until the monster actually takes over.".
Curiously, the Clöyne has almost the same abilities and origins as the Majora's Mask from the video game The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, since:
Both are beings whose main characteristic is that they inhabit an inanimate object that at first does not seem to be dangerous. Majora being a mask and Cloyne a clown suit.
both have the ability to slowly possess their wielders until they are controlled once the respective object they reside on has been placed
Their main motivations are misery and hurting others, and even killing people, mainly because they enjoy it.
Although it is not made clear, it is implied that Majora was a malevolent entity such as a demon or a spirit similar to Cloyne who ended up being sealed in a mask, similar to the demon.
During the final moments, they come to possess a second victim to continue their objectives. Majora with Termina's moon, and Cloyne with Herbert's dog.
If one listens closely to the Clöyne's roar after it kills Meg's father, he sounds like a clown horn honking.
The demon's true name comes from (Irish: Cluain), a small town located to the southeast of Midleton in eastern County Cork, Ireland. The term "clöyne" is also the original English term for "clown" used in 1560.
According to an interview with Andy Powers, the Clöyne is inspired by the mythical yuletide fiend Krampus.
It is unclear as to why the Clöyne did not kill Jack when he set him free, and simply went for the bully. Though it is possible that while the Clöyne was influencing Kent's personality, he may not have had full control over him yet.
The Clöyne's transformation process as it possesses it's wearer was inspired by Brundlefly from David Cronenberg's 1986 body horror film, The Fly.
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