The Orville Gets in on the Killer Clown Craze in This Creepy Clip

One of my favorite movies growing up was Killer Klowns from Outer Space even though it scared the pants off of me, and now I'm getting flashbacks from the movie after seeing this super creepy clip of this week's episode of The Orville.

In it, Alara (Halston Sage) is scoping out a cargo bay while the lights barely flicker in horror-movie fashion when she's attacked by -- you guessed it -- a killer clown from outer space! It would seem a murderous clown wouldn't fit in the same universe as The Orville, but there you go. So what exactly is going on? Is this an It crossover? Did the murdering clowns from American Horror Story: Cult walk onto the wrong set in Fox's lot?

According to the episode's description, the crew of the Orville experiences inexplicable events after the ship passes through a plasma storm, and some of the team's worst fears come to life. (Coulrophobia is the clinical term for a fear of clowns, btw.) When I spoke with showrunner David A. Goodman before the season premiered, he teased this episode as one of his favorites and said it was the season's scariest episode.

The Orville's Season Will Be Cut Short

I'll watch from beneath the covers.

The Orville airs Thursdays at 9/8c on Fox.