A lifetime supply of nightmare fuel is on sale in Tonopah, Nevada. The asking price is $900,000.
The Clown Motel, once described as the scariest in America, is up for sale.
Bob Perchetti opened the roadside attraction 22 years ago and lined the lobby and rooms with his partner’s family collection of clowns. Endless clowns.
They beckon to you from the road. They welcome you in the lobby. Their portraits line the walls. And, no kidding, they hang above most of the beds.
Like we said, nightmare fuel. (Oh, and if that weren’t enough, there’s also a “historic miner’s cemetery” just beyond the motel’s back door.)
Now, Perchetti and his wife are retiring and have put the establishment up for sale—but the new owners must agree to keep the clown theme.
That probably won’t be a problem. While a 2014 study found that people were nearly as afraid of clowns as they are of the dark (and more so than they are of ghosts), the 31-room hotel has proven to be a big draw in Tonopah, often booking up.
As for Perchetti, he says he plans to enjoy life, going fishing and camping with his grandkids. But he says he can’t imagine a life without clowns.
“Oh, I’m going to miss the clowns,” he says. “I’m going to come back. I’m going to come back and visit my clowns.”