| “ | The only thing you have to fear is fear itself! Oh, and evil clowns. | ” |
– Bierce, taunting the player after being killed in the Circus | ||
The Clown Gremlins, (often referred to as Grem Clowns), are recurring enemies in Dark Deception and a playable monster in Monsters & Mortals.
Along with the Goliath Clowns, the Clown Gremlins serve as the guardians of the Circus, one of the many nightmare realms controlled by their demonic overlord, Malak. The Gremlins embody the souls of humans who harassed and inflicted suffering on others out of sinister delight. To compensate for their small size, the Gremlins rely on their numbers and vehicles to hunt down their prey.
Appearance[]
The Clown Gremlins are small, bald humanoid creatures bearing generic clown features. Similar to the Murder Monkeys, they have large heads compared to their bodies, tiny eyes, and sharp teeth. Their heads are entirely white, resembling the color of generic clown faces.
Their eyes are yellow with black slit-like pupils. They wear red lipstick, black slashes down their eyes, and a black pointy hat with a white stripe. Like generic clowns, they have large red noses. Their eyes appear to be black powder or some other unknown pigmentation.
They wear dark tan clothing with faint stripes running down it and two black pom-poms on their cloth, similar to buttons. They also wear black ruffled collars. Their arms have a black-and-white striped pattern and end with tiny claws. They have four digits on each hand, seemingly reminiscent of cartoon characters, who are often designed with four fingers.
They wear boots that bear a generic, standard appearance rather than a clown-related footwear style.
In Nightmare mode, the Clown Gremlins looked relatively similar to their normal appearance, except they had pale skin with a strange glowing bluish turquoise/cyan-tint on their skin, their stripe-patterned arms, and a much bright red nose with a glowing pinkish-reddish tint on it, and wearing a shade of light magenta/purplish/dark pink-red clothing, lipstick, and glowing red eyes just like the previous enemies in Nightmare Mode.
Personality[]
| “ | They are the wretched people that liked to troll. They spent their lives antagonizing & provoking others with a twisted pride. The actions of small-minded cowards. Causing misery to others was just a source of amusement for them. | ” |
– E, describing the Clown Gremlins as malicious pranksters | ||
The Clown Gremlins are mischievous pranksters driven by pride and malice. Destructive, chaotic, and cruelly playful, they possess a macabre and sadistic sense of humor. Their amusement comes from tormenting anyone unfortunate enough to be trapped within their nightmare realm, often taunting Doug by waving mockingly at him before resuming their pursuit in an attempt to startle him.
Despite their small size and fragile skulls, the Clown Gremlins take immense delight in their own cruelty, laughing hysterically at their antics and shouting incoherent nonsense as they inflict as much suffering as possible. However, their intelligence is notably inferior to that of other monsters. Aside from uttering simple words like “ow” and “no,” they can barely form coherent speech, instead communicating through loud, cartoonish gibberish. While not individually powerful or threatening, they make up for their lack of strength and stature by swarming Doug in large numbers, using telekinesis to coordinate their attacks and overwhelm him.
In their “nightmare” forms, the Clown Gremlins become far more aggressive and resilient. For example, in the funhouse, they actively hunt Doug without relying on their Clown Cars, using telekinesis offensively to pull each other into coordinated assaults. Physically, they grow tougher and no longer burst into confetti immediately when stunned by Doug’s Primal Fear ability.
Even with these enhancements, their arrogance and recklessness remain their downfall. Overconfident in their numbers, they underestimate Doug’s skill and often fall victim to his strategy of grouping them together and stunning them all at once with Primal Fear. Outside their empowered state, they revert to their usual cowardly and bumbling behavior.
Abilities[]
Herding[]
All clowns seen in the Circus have a connection to one another. Thanks partly to telekinesis, they can draw or repel each other at will if it means attacking targets. They can coordinate themselves with a large, unrelenting swarm with enough time. This is usually shown if Doug takes too long to escape them, as all the members of one swarm still know Doug's location.
Telekinesis[]
In Zone 1, they can control the Clown Cars even outside them, suggesting they use telekinesis. They also use telekinesis to help put themselves back into the cars and even use it to help herd each other.
Mallet Proficiency (Monsters & Mortals)[]
An ability exclusive to Monsters and Mortals, the Clown Gremlins can wield large mallets without much difficulty, often doing so rapidly.
Cloning[]
While still consisting of individual souls, the Clown Gremlins can replicate themselves out of particular sources, as seen with the Goliath Clowns and the purple tent. This effectively makes them immortal despite being very weak to damage.
In Monsters and Mortals, the Clown Gremlins can summon and resummon the same clones at once.
Dark Deception[]
Chapter 3: Retribution[]
The Clown Gremlins are the primary enemies of the game's fifth level, Crazy Carnevil.
Doug first encounters the Gremlins after they lure and entrap him in the circus tent. After being dispatched by a Clown Car, the Gremlins slash at him from outside the cage, forcing Doug to use Primal Fear. The Gremlins dissipate into confetti upon being caught in the radius, along with the cage.
The Clown Gremlins chase Doug upon entering Zone 1. They don't pursue him directly, instead relying on four Clown Cars (2 on each floor of the labyrinth). The cars are constantly aware of Doug's location and nearly match his speed, making Speed Boost a must. Upon reaching him, the Clown Cars dispatch several Gremlins to pursue him. The Gremlins will wave at Doug before giving chase, providing time for him to run. The Clown Cars will usually drive away from Doug upon dispatching the Clown Gremlins and will become stationary if Doug leaves their floor.
Unlike their vehicles, the Gremlins are not constantly aware of Doug's location and will patrol the area after losing sight of him. While they cannot outrun Doug, their numbers allow them to surround him quickly. If caught, Doug should immediately use Primal Fear to deter them, which returns them to their vehicles. Doug may also switch floors using the green portals throughout the area to escape.
Further compounding the difficulty is the abundance of traps throughout the zone, which include mallets that periodically slam over the walkways and Jack-in-a-boxes that launch puppets to bite Doug if he is in front of them after the tune ends.
Upon interacting with the ring altar after completing Zone 1, a caption reading "Not yet" will appear (unlike previous levels, which say, "Collect all Soul Shards to break the ring barrier"). The tent will then rotate, revealing various rooms containing different contents.
Shortly after rotating, a Clown Gremlin will spawn, wave, and chase after Doug. The tent will continue to spin after this, revealing the blocked-off exit, a secret, and the Zone 2 portal. Doug will need to run around the tent to evade it.
No powers are needed for this small zone other than Primal Fear if one wants the secret.
The Clown Gremlins no longer rely on the Clown Cars in Zone 2; instead, they patrol the funhouse in groups of five. They no longer dissipate when affected by Primal Fear and instead remain stunned. If one member spots Doug, the rest of the group are alerted and join in the pursuit. Other groups may join in as well, creating a swarm. A few groups stand guard before speed barriers, forcing Doug to stun them before breaking through them with Speed Boost.
The Clown Gremlins cannot access the elevated walkway of the Fun House, making it the safest place in Zone 2. However, Doug must be careful not to attract them before entering the portal, as they will still follow under him, potentially trapping him on the walkway. Doug must also be wary of the cannon traps throughout the level, which appear in sets of two in the corners of four-way intersections and sets of three in certain hallways. Like the other traps, the cannons emit a priming sound, which serves as a warning before they fire. The cannons in the intersection fire at the corner across from them, killing Doug if he is standing in front of the entrance. The cannons in the hallways fire over the walkway from a remote ledge.
Upon collecting all Soul Shards, the Clown Gremlins will vanish, and Doug must avoid Malak and return to the Ring Barrier Tent.
A good set of powers for this level are Speed Boost, Primal Fear, and Telepathy. However, Primal Fear should be used when being chased by a swarm of Clown Gremlins.
Doug interacts with the ring altar again and can collect the ring piece. After that, the tent will spawn two Clown Gremlins, and Doug must survive until the room spins to the exit to escape.
The Goliath Clowns will spit out Clown Gremlins from blue orbs in their mouths. Doug will be equipped with a mallet, which he can use to kill the Clown Gremlins if he successfully hits one; however, the player should not get cocky and cause a rampage due to Goliath Clowns spitting out more clowns if a lot are killed.
The Clowns Gremlins die if Primal Fear hits them, so he must use it often when surrounded by a swarm of Clown Gremlins. Every time Doug destroys a Goliath Clown, more Clown Gremlins will spawn, and the same thing occurs if all Clown Gremlins spawned by the previous Goliath Clown have been killed. Upon killing all 4 Goliath Clowns, the remaining Clown Gremlins chasing Doug vanish in fear.
Chapter 4: Mortal Ramifications[]
During the ballroom cutscene after Mascot Mayhem, a Clown Gremlin spawns from Malak's clone and stands guard at its portal.
Monsters & Mortals[]
 "Are you not aware that she offers only lies?" This article contains information on a subject that isn't considered canon in Dark Deception franchise.
|
The Clown Gremlin returns as a Balanced class monster in Monsters & Mortals.
The Clown Gremlin performs equally in movement speed, damage, and attack cooldown and has average HP for a Monster. This makes him a great beginner's choice to learn the game's "ropes." Interestingly, his heavy attack has more range than his light attack, similar to Dread Ducky having more range on their light attack. He attacks with his claws (light attack) and mallet (heavy attack).
His ultimate ability, "Clown Patrol," when used, will spawn five clones in random locations on the map for 30 seconds. When an enemy gets too close, they will begin to chase them and do 30 damage if they hit their target. They can be killed if they are hit with four light attacks or two heavy attacks. They will also use the skin the player is using and be seen through walls in a white outline.
| Team | Monsters |
| Class | Balanced |
| Health | 240 |
| Speed | Average |
| Light Attack Damage | 30 |
| Heavy Attack Damage | 60 |
| Ultimate Ability |  Clown Patrol
|
| UA Description | Clown Gremlin spawns five clones into the map in random locations that attack anyone within range of them for 30 secs. |
| UA Duration | 30 seconds |
| UA Damage | 30 (from each clone) |
| UA Clones Hp | 4 hit points (4 Light Attacks, 2 Heavy Attacks to kill one) |
Skins[]
| Image | Name | Rarity | Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Nightmare Mode |  Common
|
Nightmare Mode Collection
In the Nightmare Mode skin, the Clown Gremlin retains the same look as in the original game. |
 |
Goliath | Common
|
In the Goliath skin, the Clown Gremlin retains the same look as the boss's original design in the original game. |
 |
Spooky Skeleton |  Rare |
In the Spooky Skeleton skin, the Clown Gremlin loses its collar, pupils, and clown makeup and now wears skull face paint and a glow-in-the-dark suit featuring a skeletal structure. His hat also loses its stripe. This skin is a reference to the "Spooky Scary Skeletons" song. |
 |
Macgremlin | Rare |
Halloween Collection
This skin gives the Clown Gremlin an identical look to the fast food mascot Ronald McDonald. Minus the logo for the fast food chain, which is replaced with a "G" instead of an "M," likely for "Gremlin." |
 |
Velvet Cake | Rare |
Sweet Collection This skin changes his body into velvet cake. With various parts of the body being velvet cake, velvet cake with frosting, or just the frosting itself. His eyes are now red. |
Relationships[]
Malak[]
As with Malak's other minions, the Clown Gremlins are eternally loyal to him and obey his every command.
Goliath Clowns[]
As the smaller, weaker versions of the Goliath Clowns, the Clown Gremlins act as their underlings, ruthlessly obeying them so long as they're alive. The moment they do go down, however, the ones already present will disappear in fear.
Murder Monkeys[]
While their relationship is mostly unclear, the Clown Gremlins show no care for trapping the Murder Monkeys in cages.
Dread Duckies[]
Like the Monkeys, the Clown Gremlins' relation to the Dread Duckies is unclear outside of trapping the latter in cages.
Themes[]
Symbolism[]
Each nightmare portal is tied to one of the Nine Layers of Hell from Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy, and the Clown Gremlins represent the sin of Heresy. These mischievous creatures embody the souls of cowardly, mean-spirited individuals who, in life, found pleasure in cruel pranks and malicious trolling. Their transformation into grotesque clowns mirrors their sadistic and mischievous tendencies. Even in their monstrous forms, they continue to torment and provoke their victims with twisted pride and relentless antagonism. This may explain why they attack Doug in overwhelming numbers — symbolizing his own moral failures and irresponsibility, particularly regarding his treatment of his family.
Alternatively, considering that every monster appears to manifest Doug Houser’s various fears and repressed memories, the Clown Gremlins may represent his selfishness and emotional manipulation of his wife, daughter, and mistresses, whom he mistreated for their perceived flaws. They reflect his darker qualities—cowardice, egocentrism, and a tendency to torment others for personal satisfaction. Bierce’s early reference to coulrophobia also hints that Doug may have harbored a childhood fear of clowns, now brought to life in this nightmarish realm.
Although “heresy” typically refers to rejecting religious doctrine, it can also describe any brazen defiance of widely accepted beliefs—much like the behavior of trolls and bullies who torment others for amusement. The Clown Gremlins embody this concept, psychologically tormenting Doug. The chaotic, psychedelic atmosphere of the circus level represents his descent into madness following undisclosed actions involving his family. Despite his attempts to escape guilt through medication, prayer, and charity, Doug ultimately fell into criminal behavior. The relentless pursuit by the Clown Gremlins mirrors his spiraling guilt and internal conflict.
The Secret Notes found in the funhouse suggest that Doug was haunted by remorse, possibly experimenting with hallucinogens in a desperate attempt to resurrect his wife and daughter, who perished in a tragic accident. His guilt, addiction, and reckless behavior are symbolized by the clowns and their surreal, chaotic environment. The Clown Gremlins also reflect Doug’s cowardice, emphasized by the phrase “YOU CAN’T CHANGE WHAT YOU ARE,” echoing his inability to face his responsibilities or accept accountability for abandoning his family. The notes reveal Doug’s regret and growing awareness of how he betrayed those who truly cared for him, further explaining the Clown Gremlins’ aggressive persistence. Newspaper clippings found nearby hint at his arrest for sexual assault, underscoring his moral decay. The Clown Gremlins’ relentless pursuit symbolizes both Doug’s personal demons and society’s condemnation of his actions. Their sheer numbers represent the crushing weight of guilt and the societal pressure bearing down on him. Their mocking yet hostile behavior mirrors Doug’s increasing isolation, reflecting his estrangement from both family and society due to his self-destructive behavior.
In Zone 1, the Clown Gremlins drive their Clown Cars to chase Doug, evoking the image of a police pursuit or media frenzy surrounding a public scandal. This likely symbolizes Doug’s experience with public exposure—his private life turned into a spectacle for others’ entertainment. Several of Bierce’s remarks throughout the level, such as “You don’t understand the consequences of your actions” during the test of strength, and “What’s black and white and read all over?” — a riddle referring to a newspaper — further emphasize Doug’s recklessness and the repercussions he must now face. His journal entries on Zone 2 reveal a sense of self-awareness, admitting to his inflated ego and calling himself a “big fool,” reinforcing the interpretation that this level symbolizes Doug’s irresponsibility and the punishment he endures from the very clowns he fears.
In addition to this, the Clown Cars may also allude to the fatal car crash that claimed the lives of Doug’s wife and daughter. The car’s blue interior could symbolize water, while the orange dots suggest flames—implying they perished in a fiery wreck before drowning. This tragedy continues to haunt Doug, with the Clown Gremlins serving as constant reminders of his failure to save them.
Inspirations and Parallels[]
The Clown Gremlins are heavily inspired by the possessed clown puppet from Poltergeist — which reportedly gave Vince nightmares during his childhood — and the titular creatures from Gremlins.
Alternatively, the Clown Gremlins may also serve as a homage to “monster clown” media in general, including Pennywise the Dancing Clown from Stephen King's IT, The Joker from Batman, Art the Clown from Terrifier, the Killer Klowns from Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Tricky the Clown from Madness Combat, and SCP-993 from the SCP Foundation universe.
Additionally, the Circus' environmental design and aesthetics draw a lot of inspiration from Killer Klowns from Outer Space, CarnEvil, and Tim Burton’s filmography, particularly Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Beetlejuice.
Phobias[]
As with most monsters in Dark Deception, Clown Gremlins also likely represent various phobias.
| Phobia | Relevance |
|---|---|
| Coulrophobia Fear of Clowns |
As the name states, the Clown Gremlins are small, monstrous clowns who go out of their way to attack and kill mortals. They share the theme of Coulrophobia with the Goliath Clowns. |
| Maquillaphobia
Fear of Make-Up |
|
| Pharsaphobia
Fear of Pranks |
|
Trivia[]
- Like the Gold Watchers and Malak, the Clowns are voiced by Christopher Corey Smith.
- These enemies represent coulrophobia, the fear of clowns. Within the level, Bierce directly mentions this phobia when questioning the inspiration for the nightmare.
- One of the developers hinted at their behavior, stating that their move-set is scarier than their appearance, hinting at the increased difficulty in Chapter 3.
- Before their design was changed, they used to be one of the only monsters with pupils in their portal icon. The earlier model from the original 2015 build, the Clown Gremlins, had much wider eyes.
- In earlier iterations, the Clown Gremlins' design changed. Initially depicted with wider eyes and even sporting hair in concept art and the original Kickstarter poster from 2014, they evolved into their shrunken-eyed, hairless 2015 version. Initially, they wielded various weapons, possibly cotton candy or baseball bats, as hinted by Vince in Devlog #6. However, this mechanic was entirely revamped into the current swarm strategy.
- On May 10th, 2019, the developer released a 14-second video on Twitter showing some of the animations of a Clown Gremlin, including peek-a-boo, wave, run, and stunned animations.
- In the video, the clown's eyes are shown to have been shrunken. From what is said, this is the final design for the Clowns, which, in comparison to the original design, appears more ominous and menacing.
- The aforementioned Peek-a-boo animation for the Clown Gremlins was unused. It is unknown what purpose it is for if it was implemented into the game (Now used when selecting monsters and for clones' idle animation in Monsters & Mortals).
- Clown Gremlins are the first enemies in the game to be able to turn into their Nightmare Mode before collecting all of the soul shards. This can be seen happening in the Fun House (Zone 2). Strangely enough, they later revert to their regular forms during the boss fight with the Goliath Clowns.
- The other enemies that can turn into their Nightmare Mode forms before the soul shards are all collected include the Reaper Nurses, Lucky the Rabbit, Hangry the Pig, Penny the Chicken, Trigger Teddies and Mama Bear.
- In the third Q&A episode, Vince stated that their Zone 2 form was their Nightmare Mode.
- The two jumpscares that consist of a Clown Gremlin biting the player are the same animation from different angles.
- In Monsters & Mortals. The Clown Gremlin uses its hammer as a heavy attack, which it had not seen or used in Dark Deception.
- Vince confirmed in the eighth Q&A that the Clown Gremlins somewhat have the Telekinesis power, because they’re attracted to different Clown Cars.
- Alternatively, this ability might be due to their reliance on telekinesis when not individually threatening, drawing other group members toward the player in significant numbers. This behavior is notably observed in Zone 2: when one Clown Gremlin spots the player, other separated Gremlins from the same group become aware of the player's location and join the pursuit, resulting in a swarm of Clown Gremlins.
- He is tied with Bierce, Murder Monkey, and Gold Watcher for the most alternative skins (4 variations, not counting default) in Dark Deception: Monsters & Mortals.
- Previously, "Clown Patrol" clones could not be killed, lasted for a minute, and would mark their targets in a red outline. The devs later nerfed them so they could be killed in 4 hits (light or heavy, it doesn't matter), last for 45 seconds, and removed them, marking their targets. It was then changed to how it is currently.
- If too many Clown Gremlins are gathered around a portal, then it's possible for one or more of them to enter the portal to the next level, making repeated usage of portals more risky.
- Clown Gremlins are the first enemies that Doug can kill. The others are the Goliath Clowns, the Reaper Nurses, the Joy Joy Gang, and the Trigger Teddies.
- The Clown Gremlins and the Dread Duckies both wear cone accessories on their heads, the Gremlins wearing black party hats and the Duckies wearing orange traffic cones.
- They are among the first ones to receive a plushie counterpart based on its skin from Dark Deception: Monsters & Mortals in the Makeship campaign.
- They have also run the same Makeship campaign with the Chef Monkeys, making them the third to receive a duo campaign. The previous ones were Bierce & Malak, and Mama Bear & Trigger Teddies.
Voicelines[]
The Clown Gremlins are voiced by Christopher Corey Smith.
| Voiceline | Used | Audio File |
|---|---|---|
| *Giggling* | Spawning from a Clown Car or a blue orb. | TBA |
| *Laughing* | Spotting Doug. |
|
| *Running and Yelling* | Pursuing Doug. |
|
| *Jumping and Yelling* | Before the jumpscare. |
|
| "Hya!" | During the jumpscare. |
|
| *Biting* | After the jumpscare. |
|
| *Exhausting noise* | After being stunned. |
|
| "Ow!" | Despawning, or when Doug kills them. |
Gallery[]
In-game[]
Dark Deception[]
Monsters & Mortals[]
.png "Clown Gremlin (MnM).png (5.07 MB)")
Related Items[]
(From Crazy Carnevil)
.png "Clown Gremlin Cutout (From Crazy Carnevil).png (198 KB)")
(From Crazy Carnevil)
(From Crazy Carnevil)
(From Crazy Carnevil)
(From Crazy Carnevil)
(From Crazy Carnevil)
(From Crazy Carnevil)
.png "Spawner Thing (WrongColorPalette).png (6.57 MB)")
(From Crazy Carnevil)
Jumpscares[]
Models[]
.png "Clown Gremlin (Cart).png (6.1 MB)")
Artwork[]
Miscellaneous[]
.jpg "Chapter 3 Cover (DLC).jpg (81 KB)")
Concept Arts
Merchandise[]
[]
