As October rolls in, it seems that everyone’s favorite scary movies are not far behind, but if you’re afraid of clowns I suggest you turn the TV off. Pennywise, the clown from Stephen King’s classic horror flick It, has some competition named Twisty.

FX’s thrilling show, American Horror Story, is returning Oct. 8 for a fourth season with the subtitle Freak Show. Since announced, the upcoming season has raised a lot of attention due to its circus-like name. The conspiracies have been confirmed: Freak Show will feature a clown, said to be “the most terrifying clown of all time.”

Creator Ryan Murphy recently voiced his fears on the effect Twisty the Clown may have on the audience. He’s worried that his killer clown might be too scary, and that people could suffer medical issues as a result.

“We said in the writer’s room that if we were going to do clowns, we were going to create the most terrifying clown of all time,” Murphy told Buzzfeed. “That was our goal when we were writing him, but I’m worried about people being too afraid of our clown. It’s heart-stopping what he does. I’m worried. I’m worried that people are going to have cardiac arrests… The clown’s intro in the first episode is … even I was terrified of it. It’s brutal. Two crew members told me they have had nightmares about this clown since we started shooting and they’re not even scared of clowns. I think he’s pretty extraordinary because, when you see why he’s a clown and why he’s wearing the mask … just you wait.”

John Caroll Lynch, the 6-foot-3 actor playing Twisty said with a laugh, “People are honestly terrified of me. Just standing around in the makeup, not even filming. They’re freaked out.”

Lynch then explained in detail what drew him to the character and what makes Twisty the Clown a very fitting name.

“His actions are horrific, but his motives are really strangely, oddly pure. And that’s what is most human and most disturbing about it,” Lynch said. “As an actor, I’ve given up judgment of evil, as long as it’s human evil — we have to see ourselves for what we really are, and we’re capable of horrific things. I don’t intend to advocate for the horrific characters, but I hope they reflect humanity at its most vicious because we need to really look at ourselves and see it. Otherwise, we’re deluding ourselves into thinking we’re not capable of it. I know that I’m capable of doing anything that I’ve done as any character I’ve played. I’m grateful I’m not drawn to doing it, so I haven’t done it, but I’m capable.”

He added, “You can have the most wonderful motives for what you do, but if what you do harms other people, you’re fooling yourself. I hope that’s what people get out of [this character]. If it terrifies people, I’m okay with that — this show is called Horror Story after all — but I hope they see a reflection of their own lives. Even if it means they need to look at what they’re actually doing, not what they think they’re doing.”