Our Night At The Most Terrifying Clown Motel In The Desert

What this episode is about

The Clown Motel in Tonopah, Nevada, renowned as America's scariest motel, is uniquely situated next to a historic cemetery and filled with clowns, a tribute to a devout clown enthusiast who was buried nearby. Visitors to the motel often report paranormal experiences, including sightings of apparitions and unexplained voices, making it a hotspot for thrill-seekers and ghost hunters alike.

Key takeaways

• The Clown Motel: where nostalgia meets nightmares, right next to a century-old cemetery—so cozy!
• Clowns and ghosts unite! An eerie combination that's making the motel a paranormal hot spot.
• Charlie the orphan clown: a chilling tale of abandonment and spectral mischief—who's really haunting who?
• Clown collection grows through donations. When you say 'abundant,' you clearly mean 'disturbingly crowded' in this case.
• Spirits using clowns as vessels? Talk about the ultimate intersection of humor and horror—you might laugh to death!

Who speaks in this episode?

• Blake (Host) · 13 min speaking
• Lu Vijay Mahar (Guest) · 9 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 5:00: Clown Motel, Clarence David, Tonapa Cemetery, Tonopah
2. 5:00 – 10:00: Pennywise
3. 10:00 – 15:00: Tonapa Cemetery, Tonopah, Tonopah plague
4. 15:00 – 20:00: Clown Motel, Clarence David, Belmont mine fire
5. 20:00 – 22:09: Clown Motel

Notable quotes from "Our Night At The Most Terrifying Clown Motel In The Desert"

• Got like 20 more minutes of sunlight left. So, let's get inside and talk to somebody. From the moment you check in you're surrounded by hundreds of clowns miniature…

  about Clown Motel · at 1:30

• This, is, terrifying., I, do, not, this in one bit. some people clowns aren't what I saw Georgie and it looked like it was coming out of the That, scared.

  about Pennywise · at 5:52

• The old Tonapa Cemetery was established in May of 1901. But this was no ordinary cemetery. It holds the victims of one of Tonopah's most mysterious tragedies, the Tonapa plague. Beginning in 1902 healthy adult men began dying rapidly.

  about Tonopah plague · at 14:20

• Found themselves trapped. 17 men died that day. 14 of them are buried in the Tonapas cemetery. Today, guests at the Clown Motel will often pay a visit to the Tonapasa Cemetery…

  about Tonapa Cemetery · at 15:22

• So, thank you, Clarence for your love of clowns and your legacy still lives on and it shows no sign of stopping, and it's taken a ton of donations of other clowns to carry on.

  about Clarence David · at 20:50

• Though we didn't encounter much, the Clown Motel, the Tonap Cemetery, and the surrounding town of Tonapa, Nevada undoubtedly has some creepy vibes and feels as though there is something dark.

  about Tonopah · at 21:46

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Clarence David — Person · Referenced historical figure (origin story subject) · 2 mentions · first at 0:31
  He is presented as the Tonopah resident whose clown collection and burial location motivated his children to build and stock the Clown Motel, forming the episode’s central backstory.

Companies & orgs

• Clown Motel — Company · Business focus · 6 mentions · first at 0:00
  The main subject of the episode, known as America's scariest motel, filled with clown memorabilia and paranormal activity.

Concepts & topics

• Pennywise — Concept · Referenced character · 1 mention · first at 5:16
  A famous clown character from horror literature and film, referenced in the context of the motel's clown-themed decor and paranormal activity.

Places & events

• Tonapa Cemetery — Place · Setting · 2 mentions · first at 0:28
  Adjacent to the Clown Motel, this cemetery holds the victims of the Tonapa plague and the Belmont mine fire, adding to the motel's eerie reputation.
• Tonopah — Place · Setting · 2 mentions · first at 0:25
  The town where the Clown Motel and Tonapa Cemetery are located, known for its mining history and tragic events.
• Tonopah plague — Event · Historical event · 1 mention · first at 14:31
  A mysterious tragedy that affected the town of Tonopah, contributing to the eerie atmosphere of the cemetery and motel.
• Belmont mine fire — Event · Historical event · 1 mention · first at 17:11
  A tragic fire that killed 17 miners, many of whom are buried in the Tonapa Cemetery, adding to the paranormal lore of the area.
  Their jobs drove them underground. But as the fire grew, the untrained miners found themselves trapped. 17 men died that day. 14 of them are buried in the Tonapas cemetery.…

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 The Clown Motel. You've, never, seen, a, place, like, this, so, I'm, nervous, for, what, we, might encounter.

0:05 What, was, that? The, motel, was, built, next, to, a, cemetery that's more than a 100red years old. What the hell was that?

0:11 Wo. Known as America's scariest motel, the Clown Motel in Tonapa, Nevada, sits right next to the old Tonapa Cemetery. Clarence David, a Tonapa resident, was killed in a mine fire in 1942. He was then buried in the Tonapa cemetery. While David was alive, he was a big fan of clowns and had a collection of 150 clown dolls and memorabilia. In mourning, David's children, Leona and Leroy, built a motel right next door to the cemetery where their father was buried, and they filled it with their father's collection of clowns. For decades, this remote motel catered to desert travelers. But now, it draws a different kind of visitor, paranormal ones. So, we just made it to the climb motel. We've got motel here, cemetery there. How do you feel now that we're here? This hotel or motel is pretty famous, so I'm excited on that aspect but also very nervous for what we might potentially encounter.

1:22 Yeah,, the, the, motel, itself, just, looks silly to me, but the cemetery behind us that's what's got me scared. We probably got like 20 more minutes of sunlight left. So, let's get inside and talk to somebody. From the moment you check in you're surrounded by hundreds of clowns miniature, life-sized, and all undeniably creepy. Some say they are more than just decoration. Visitors report apparitions wandering the motel. Others claim to have heard voices saying, "We mind." And we died that day. Many believe the spirits of Tonap's past use the clowns to return.

2:00 Nice, to, meet, you,, man., I'm, Blake. I'm, Lu, Vijay, Mahar., I'm, the, new, owner, of the Clown Motel.

2:04 Awesome., Yeah. So,, what, can, you, tell, us, about, this place? Well,, this, place, is, one, of, a, kind., It's a old heritage.

2:11 How, long, has, this, place, been, around? 73, years, old. 73., Wow., How, many, clowns, are, here?

2:17 Right, now,, you, can, see, almost, 2,000., Go. But still, we have another 3,700 in the boxes.

2:25 The, reason, you, can, see, we, are, very cramped already. Yeah., Not, much, space.

2:30 Yeah,, that's, right., Yeah., You, can, see we're putting on top of each other, you know.

2:33 Right., Right., Despite, the, motel, already having thousands of clowns each year hundreds more are donated to the motel. Regardless of the energy or spirits that may be attached to them, lots of which have stories that come with them including the most famous clown here Charlie.

2:51 We've, heard, a, lot, about, this, guy, Charlie. Charlie., Okay., Charlie's, his, name.

2:55 Yeah., I, I, cannot, forget, about, him., I, was going to say, man, you know, you don't know my name.

3:00 So,, yeah., Is, there, anything, special about Charlie? Yeah,, the, special, about, Charlie,, you, can see the lot of damages. His hair fingers, somebody cut it, you know.

3:09 Yeah. People, they, they, rent, him, to, go, to, their room. Oh. And, you, know, it, is, very, firm., It's, not like a solid, you know.

3:17 Right., Right., Right. So, there, every, single, time, finger, is gone, head is gone, you know. Then I find out I asked the old owner who where he bought it from. He said no. Somebody banded front of his propert in the office room.

3:28 Yeah., Yeah., And, they, have, nothing,, no note, nothing is there. Wow. I, think, he's, the, people, who, donate, it, they can see too, but they're not telling, "Oh, that's my clown, you know."

3:38 Right., Right., Right. Nobody, so, far, came, and, see, it, man., So,, so, Charlie, here, is, a, bit, of, an orphan then.

3:44 Oh,, yeah., That's, right. Yeah., Wow., Have, you, had, any, paranormal run-ins with Charlie? Has he done anything or

3:50 I, don't, know,, maybe, I'm, wrong., When, the cos was going, it's like a nothing. It's like a dead nobody comes, nobody goes. You know sometime I fall asleep at even 12:00 1:00 and I feel somebody may yeah wake up go to [ __ ] your room you know sorry I just assuming maybe somebody just like that oh maybe it's 12:00 now you know

4:09 right but, when, you, look, around, there's, nobody there nobody's, there but, you, don't, think, it, could, be, Charlie

4:14 yes, I, know, because, I, didn't, see, it, but that's true yeah, I'm, just, assuming, yeah

4:18 fair, enough yeah, this, is, all, the, small, figures, what you see this all from the Europes when we came here was only 800 clowns.

4:27 Wow., And, so, yeah,, this, all, was, a donation also., Actually,, all, donation., Everything is a donation 100%. Okay.

4:32 We, don't, buy, even, the, single, anything, right? All, our, donation., And, also, somebody donated here. You can see that one is a fire and they survive. There was a fire in the church.

4:43 Okay. And, the, clown, was, there., But, they survived and they donated us. So, the, whole, place, burnt, down

4:48 burned, down, and, they, survive., Yeah. O., Thank, you, very, much, for, you, guys, come here and uh I good luck for you guys.

4:56 I, appreciate, it., Uh, hopefully, we, we won't need the luck. Hopefully we'll uh we're on good terms with all these clowns. Sure.

5:02 And, um, but, uh, thank, you, so, much, for showing us around. All right,, so, we, just, got, done, talking to the owner and as you can see

5:10 it's, dark, out., So, let's, head, to, our first room. Room 108 with its mural of Pennywise is home to the spirit called the trickster known for moving guests belongings and making them vanish. There have also been reports of voices with no origin, knocks at the door with no one behind them, and even reports of a 7ft tall clown standing at the foot of the bed. Holy, I can't see anything. Turn the light on. Oh my gosh

5:48 there's, just, so, many, like, clowns, in here. This, is, terrifying., I, do, not, like, this in one bit. I mean, some people some people clowns aren't what what I saw Georgie and it looked like it was coming out of the

6:06 That, scared. Oh,, that's, terrifying., Okay,, should, we turn more lights on? This is This is kind of creepy. Hold on. Let's get more lights on. Okay. But yeah, now that the lights are on, you could see like a Georgie.

6:18 I, would, be, like, legit, terrified, to, sleep in this room. It's just too creepy.

6:23 Well,, and, also, the, spirit, that supposedly is here. Oh,, yeah. Did, you, hear, that?, What, the, hell, is that?

6:34 I, think, it's, the, air. Oh,, it's, the, AC., Listen, to, this, [ __ ] AC. Yeah, it's definitely the AC. Listen to this AC thing then. Absolutely treacherous sounding. Mhm.

6:47 Should, we, try, to, see, if, the, trickster spirit is here? So,, it's, they, call, it, like, a, trickster spirit, but like it's like a poltergeist. Um, so like we should we should test the the poltergeist.

6:59 Okay. Let, me, see, your, Let, me, see, your backpack. My, backpack? Yeah. Uh-oh. Okay.

7:05 All, right., I, saw, this, video, where, this where this dude What, was, that?, Did, you, hear, something?

7:12 Yeah. Very, good. Where, this, dude, put, his, stuff, on, this table and like was recording it and like like [ __ ] was flying. Not flying, but like moving around and stuff.

7:22 Okay. Let's, test, it. Yeah., Test, it, with, my, bag,, of, course. All right., Cool., All, right., Well,, I guess we should probably leave it alone to see if it'll if it'll move.

7:31 I, don't, know, if, I'm, like, shaking, cuz, I'm cold or I'm scared. It, is, cold., It, is, surprisingly, cold, out right now. Granted, it's October, so

7:41 but, uh, yeah,, it's, like, 40, something degrees out. Is, that, a, boil, hole?

7:50 Wait,, is, that, a, pee, hole? Could, you, imagine? Wait,, hold, on. Is, it? I, don't, know., It, doesn't, look, like, it. Can you see through it?

8:05 No., Wait. That was me. Oh,, that's, sort, of, hard. You're, joking. I'm, not, joking., It's, me.

8:21 Do, you, see, anything? No., Stop. You're actually joking. You're kicking the thing.

8:28 I'm, not., I'm, not., I'm, not., Did, you, see anything? No. Okay., So,, it's, not, a, peepphole, then.

8:32 Yeah., I, think, it's, solid. What, were, you, kicking?, The, bed, frame. Yeah.

8:39 If, the, trickster, spirits, in, here,, can you give us a sign? It's, going, off, a, little, bit.

8:52 Is, it? Mhm. Okay., Not, too, bad,, though., Can't, help but realize that you've been uh avoiding the bathroom.

9:02 Yeah., I, don't, think I, think, you, got, to, Come, on., Turn, the light on. Nothing on the EMS.

9:17 No. All, right. Well, maybe, the, trickster, spirit, doesn't, want to play any tricks right now.

9:27 Yeah,, maybe, not., Yeah,, I, guess, I, guess we could probably go to the next one. My backpack's okay. On the 217.

9:35 Yeah., Okay, I guess we'll turn on the lights. Yeah this Wow. I This is a lot. Chucky's cool but I don't know if I would be sleeping in the room lying with Chucky. I know the other room was the trickster room. Charlie and the the clowns watch over the whole motel. So, I'm going to leave my bag there and uh as we explore, maybe we come back and it's knocked over or something.

10:22 Oh,, that's, Charlie. Why is there blood on him and stuff? Look, he's got blood. Oh, interesting.

10:29 I, thought, Charlie, was, nice., That's, what the owner said. This looks like it's covering like a doorway to somewhere.

10:35 It, looks, like, a, false, wall. Yeah,, it, looks, like, it, was, a, door, frame and then they just put this painting of Chucky. Let's make Charlie and his clown friends aware that we're friendly. I'm getting a little bit here. Maybe Charlie

10:58 Why are you doing that? Look,, it's, going, off. Or, is, uh, where's, little, Peter?

11:10 Is, it, still, a, thing?, I, have, Bibles, in the ice. I, think, so. Oh,, yep., Sure, enough.

11:15 Two, Bibles. Two, Bibles? Probably. Four, Bibles., Bibles. Can, we, try, for, six, Bibles?, No. Okay.

11:26 Dang., Is, this, room, that, bad?, We, need four Bibles. Four, Bibles., Yeah., I, don't, know., Well, we're not really getting much of anything.

11:36 Should, we, try, turning, the, lights, off, and inviting? Yeah. All, right., So,, we've, got, our, little camcorder set up there and we're sitting down. And then we've got our EMF. If Charlie or any other spirit is here maybe give our our little sensor a touch here.

12:16 Nothing's touched my backpack, so that's good. I feel like that Chucky is looking at me.

12:21 Which, one? Through, the, mirror. Oh,, that, is, terrifying. Yeah,, that's, kind, of, terrifying.

12:33 I, feel, like, I, mean, all, of, these, Chuckies are looking at us. Mhm. Well,, we've, been, here, for, 5, 10, minutes. Haven't really gotten anything. Wait let's turn all the lights on. Do one more sweep, I guess.

12:52 Yeah. Unless, you Yeah. What, was, that? Like, it, sounded, like, someone, was, walking in. Sounds like someone's out there. Good.

13:35 But, that, sounded, like, someone, tried, the door. Yeah,, it, did, sound, like, someone, tried the door. I agree. Okay, that's weird. Perhaps that was Charlie.

13:50 Maybe. So,, that, was, a, bit, weird., It, did., It sounded like someone tried to open our door, but there was nobody out there. When I opened the door, it sounded like there was movement. We're not the only ones here. There. There's definitely, I think, a few rooms occupied. So, maybe someone just tried the door and thought it was their room but I don't know.

14:20 The old Tonapa Cemetery was established in May of 1901. But this was no ordinary cemetery. It holds the victims of one of Tonopah's most mysterious tragedies, the Tonapa plague. Beginning in 1902 healthy adult men began dying rapidly. What started as chest pain ended in death within hours. organs were found hardened and blackened like stone. Though headlines fueled fears of the black plague, it was later decided it was a severe form of pneumonia, likely caused by unsanitary conditions. Yet oddly, it affected only grown men.

15:00 Though, Tonap Cemetery is home to victims of other tragedies, too. On February 23rd, 1911, a fire engulfed the Tonapop Belmont mine. A small flame was spotted deep in the shaft, but ultimately ignored as miners were told to keep working. The fear of losing their jobs drove them underground. But as the fire grew, the untrained miners found themselves trapped. 17 men died that day. 14 of them are buried in the Tonapas cemetery. Today, guests at the Clown Motel will often pay a visit to the Tonapasa Cemetery, claiming to hear whispers of the fire's victims and even seeing apparitions of spirits walking between the motel and the cemetery.

15:43 Yeah, this is more terrifying at night for sure. This is creepy. All right, we're here in the cemetery. And I think we're going to try the spirit box to see if any of the people buried here might want to talk to us.

16:00 Specifically,, any, victim, of, the, Tonap plague and, the, fire, of, the, Belmont, mine.

16:05 Mhm., Is, there, anyone, from, the, Belmont fire that would like to talk to us? Did you hear that?

16:25 No,, it, said, seven. Seven. Yeah. It, just, said, seven, again. Say, seven., What?, Ask, seven.

16:39 What, does, seven, mean? It's, just, I, swear, it, I, swear, it, was, like seven is luck.

16:48 It's, weird. just said 10. Well,, hey,, 7, +, 10,, 17, miners, died, in that Belmont minef fire.

17:03 Oh, my, god. I, mean,, if, it, is, 710,, I, mean,, that sounds like a stretch, right? But

17:11 are, we, speaking, to, the, 17, men, that, died in the Belmont fire? Do you have a name? Can you tell us your name?

17:44 That, one, says, David,, but yeah. I think it's David something last name. I don't think this our our guy clearance. All right. We weren't getting so much responses there, but uh this flag is is definitely a point of interest for both of us. So let's go up to it. Maybe try to find Clarence David's grave. Well, we've made it to the flag. Maybe we should thank Clarence and the other miners for not giving us such a hard time tonight. Thank you spirits of Tonapa.

18:25 I, definitely, feel, like, the, cemetery, was by far creepier than the hotel, but also somewhat glad we didn't run into anything too crazier or with ill intentions.

18:39 Yeah,, I, agree., Cuz, we, don't, have, ill intentions, you know? Yeah., Hey,, I, just, What, the, hell, is, that?

18:46 Whoa. Here, flip it. Flip it around. Maybe we spoke too soon. Yeah, that, was, like I mean, you play it back. It just I just it just it sounded almost like like metal banging or something like that.

19:14 Mhm. I, just, I, just, I, just, What, the, hell, was that? Am, I, trying, to, think, of, what, that, could have been?

19:34 I, honestly, could, not, tell, you, what, that could have been. And it was very it was close enough to where it definitely came from the cemetery.

19:41 Yeah, it sounded like it was like right in front of us. Like not, hearing, much, of, it anymore. Trees moving in the wind. That's about it. We've been wandering a good 10 minutes now. I don't know if we're going to find where that sound came from.

20:05 Yeah. Goodbye to all these headstones. Miners. Miners. Yeah. Oh,, like Yeah, right. Oh, wait. Wait, hold on. This is his grave.

20:24 Oh,, yeah. That, seemed, very, coincidental. Okay, it's just the wind. But that seemed that seemed very uh questioned response.

20:42 Yeah. Well,, I'm, here, with, Clarence., He's, the whole reason that we were able to make this episode on the Clown Motel today. So, thank you, Clarence for your love of clowns and your legacy still lives on and it shows no sign of stopping, you know, and it's taken a ton of donations of other clowns to carry on your love of clowns. Do you have anything you want to say to Char?

21:11 I, don't, know., I'm, just, so, happy, to, be here and I love ghost hunting like I'm so happy to be here and I love ghost hunting and I love my country and and I love God and and I love and I just I love being alive.

21:30 Yeah. All, right., Thank, you,, Clarence,, for, this awesome motel and for not being scary. Okay, I'm I'm a hyper. We should go.

21:43 Let's, go. Though we didn't encounter much, the Clown Motel, the Tonap Cemetery, and the surrounding town of Tonapa, Nevada undoubtedly has some creepy vibes and feels as though there is something dark lurking beneath the surface.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Our Night At The Most Terrifying Clown Motel In The Desert"?

Blake (Host), Lu Vijay Mahar (Guest).

What is "Our Night At The Most Terrifying Clown Motel In The Desert" about?

The Clown Motel in Tonopah, Nevada, renowned as America's scariest motel, is uniquely situated next to a historic cemetery and filled with clowns, a tribute to a devout clown enthusiast who was buried nearby. Visitors to the motel often report paranormal experiences, including sightings of apparitions and unexplained voices, making it a hotspot for thrill-seekers and ghost hunters alike.

What is mentioned in this BuzzFeed Unsolved Network episode?

7 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Clown Motel, Clarence David, Tonapa Cemetery, Tonopah, Tonopah plague, Belmont mine fire. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Our Night At The Most Terrifying Clown Motel In The Desert"?

The episode runs 22 min; the transcript is about 3,048 words in 90 timestamped sections.

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