Inside America's 'scariest' motel with 6,500 clowns and spooky voices heard by guests

A motel in the US said to be the country's "scariest" features 6,500 clowns and hails itself as a magnet for ghost-hunters, horror film makers and YouTubers. The Clown Motel in Tonopah, Nevada, offers paying guests the chance to spend the night in rooms designed around famous horror films such as Stephen King's IT, Chucky, Halloween and The Exorcist.

From £58 ($79) per night, the owners say you can bed down and prepare yourself for "the excitement of the unknown". Next door to Tonopah Cemetery, the motel was built in 1985 by Leona and Leroy David in honour of their clown-loving dad.

He built up a collection of 150 clown-themed toys, ornaments and artworks, which has ballooned into a museum holding more than 6,500 clowns.

Room 108 is said to be one of the motel's most haunted rooms. It "sleeps" up to four people and its design includes a mural of Pennywise - the main character from King's horror novel, IT, played by Tim Curry in the 1990 miniseries.

Guests who have stayed in Room 108 have reported hearing voices and sensing a strange "presence" within its walls.

Next door, Room 107 reopened in May after it was closed in the wake of two deaths over the past decade, according to the motel's owners.

The room was reportedly used as storage space during its closure and the motel owners say guests in Room 108 reported hearing "guests" moving furniture and banging on walls.

Besides a choice of room, guests can also rent an electromagnetic field reader to measure waves some claim are linked to ghosts.

Guests who have braved a night or two at the motel have shared their experiences on Instagram, including one man who described the venue as "Nightmare Fuel".

Commenting from an account named @jeff.c.rhoades, the former guest said: "The Clown Motel in Tonopah, Nevada, is one of the weirdest (and creepiest) places that I've stumbled upon in all of my road trips.

"It's filled with thousands of clowns of all shapes and sizes and sits right next to an old cemetery from the early 1900s."

Fellow Instagram user, @counting.countries, said: "It is every bit as creepy as it looks." While another, @afpistudio cautioned: "If you think this motel looks creepy, you're right. Honestly, I have never seen anything like it."

They added: "Whether you're a thrill-seeker or just passing through, this place offers a unique and spine-chilling experience."