The Viral Legend of Wrinkles the Clown (Wrinkles the Clown, 2019)

In 2015, videos of a creepy clown called Wrinkles emerging from beneath a child’s bed went viral, followed by various sightings and then stickers inviting parents to call  Wrinkles to scare naughty children.

This documentary focuses on the phenomenon from both the perspective of the man (or men) behind wrinkles, the parents and kids  who became obsessed with the clown.

The kids are, honestly, the most disturbing part of the documentary.  We hear audio of voicemails received at the public number Wrinkles has set up, and it is kind of chilling to hear just how terrified these kids are.

Initially, we are introduced to a retiree (who is not shown) who really seems disinterested in how it might impact the kids.  Later, as the film reveals another individual (also hidden) stating to be the creator of the clown (explaining they hired the retiree to play the role) who created a lot of the viral videos of Wrinkles being seen in public. That individual states they are not really thrilled by parents calling wrinkles to scare their kids, suggesting it is pretty abusive.

For awhile, the documentary carries along at an interesting pace…but it kind of peters out towards the end, like they kind of were unsure where to take the film. Still, it is a pretty interesting look at a creepy viral phenomenon.