A number of factors I guess...
First, you have the It and John Wayne Gacy examples. Either someone portraying the clown on screen or in life as a monster. It's only natural that it carries over.
You also have "bad" clowns. Maybe not bad as it a bad person, but one who takes their gig too far. I've seen it a few times. A kid scared of the make-up or costume, and the clown thinks it's funny and keeps messing with the kid somehow. Usually this is from some guy in a clown costume, and not a clown - but the end result is the same.
Make-up can be creepy for some people too. I've seen successful clowns who have a face that weirds me out now; so it has to have an effect on kids. Sometimes their perspective is different, and a clown face can be scary...
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