Nope, never understood the fear of clowns. I wasn't afraid of much as a child (heights maybe).

Yep, they freak me out. Still do. As an aside, some of those creepy clown vids that have been making their way to youtube in recent years have a distinct weirdness and serial-killer vibe to them. I believe I read some psychologists have explained the fear of clowns as the inability to see/read facial expressions because of the makeup.

Absolutely. During the 80's and 90's, film makers loved to freak us out using clowns and dolls turning what we usually love into something of nightmares.

No more than any other adult behaving like an unpredictable mental patient.