I don't find them scary either unless they are meant to be like Pennywise or have an association of something negative like Gacy. All that work to try to get people to laugh and smile and most of the time the audience is either uneasy or afraid. It's kind of sad
Theirs is simply a slapstick comedy circus act, and I've never understood who has been jacking up this idea, within the last few decades, for no apparent reason, we have to find them frightening.
(I thinks strictly speaking there are two types of act: clown and auguste, but I don't remember the difference.)
