What is it about clowns that make them a staple horror movie archetype?

Every Monday the q Screen Panel convenes to look at the big stories happening in the film and television worlds. This week, TV and film critic John Semley and arts and culture critic Lara Zarum join host Tom Power to talk about the evil clown craze that's sweeping some of the latest film releases. 

From Joker to IT: Chapter 2, the panel discuss what it is about clowns that make them a staple horror movie archetype, the controversy that surrounds these films and if stories about the anti-hero still resonate in the same way. 

They look at Joaquin Phoenix as the title character in Joker in the new and extremely dark origin story about Batman's chief nemesis. Joker premiered at the Venice Film Festival last week and will be at the Toronto International Film Festival this week. The panel talks about the Oscar buzz surrounding the performance and what makes this Joker different.

They also discuss the return of the creepy clown called Pennywise in IT: Chapter 2 and what audiences can expect from the sequel to the film adaptation of the Stephen King novel.

IT: Chapter 2 is in theatres now. Joker is set to release on Oct. 4. 

— Produced by ​Stuart Berman

*Click 'Listen' near the top of the page to hear the full segment.