The terrifying clown that's been terrorizing an entire town for the last week has finally come forward to claim that he "just wanted to amuse people."

Northampton's anonymous nightmare fuel still refuses to reveal his true identity, but insists that people should see his antics as "a bit of harmless fun" — even those who have been "extremely frightened" by him.

"Most people enjoy being a bit freaked out and then they can laugh about it afterwards," the Pennywise lookalike told the Northampton Chronicle & Echo. "It’s like watching a horror movie, when people get scared they usually start laughing."

The clown says he is indeed a fan of Stephen King, and admits to being inspired by the film adaptation of the horror novel It.

Though he has found it increasingly difficult "to keep his identity a secret," the clown promised to keep popping up in random places "for as long as people are interested."

Sleep tight.

[photos via Twitter]