Business is so good at the Clown Motel, you might expect more of its painted faces to be smiling.
But as Vijay Mehar has learned in his years as owner of the creepiest motel in Tonopah, Nevada, happy clowns are not what most of his customers want.
What they seem to want is fear, loathing, painted faces, circus vibes and hints of paranormal activity. Basically, Mehar says, “they want to be scared”.
So, with the aim of luring more people off Main Street (aka US Route 95) to visit this 31-room motel in the dusty, stark middle of Nevada, Mehar is boosting his creepiness quotient.
By the end of 2025, he is hoping to have completed an extension spanning 85 square metres (900 sq ft) that will double the size of the motel’s busy, disquieting lobby-museum-gift shop area. Meanwhile, behind the motel, Mehar is planning a year-round haunted house, to be made of 11 shipping containers.