10 sadistic pranks pulled by Alfred Hitchcock

By ERIC SANDLER

The seemingly psychotic clowns roaming the streets of California towns this past week are downright terrifying. Whether they were inspired by 'American Horror Story's' new Twisty the Clown character or just coincidentally emerged at a time when our collective fear of killer clowns are at an all-time high, someone is surely having a good laugh about the terror being inflicted on unsuspecting bystanders.

In honor of this twisted prank, we've compiled ten sadistic practical jokes from a quiet prank master in his own right -- Alfred Hitchcock. It's not shocking, considering his filmography, that Hitchcock liked to pull one over on his friends every once in a while, but by all accounts he was downright mean with a lot of his stunts. Everyone from his star actresses to his own child were considered fair game and he seemingly refused to pull any punches. Scroll through the images above to read Alfred Hitchcock's top 10 ruthless pranks.

More on AOL.com:
Ratings record for AMC's 'Walking Dead'
Ariana Grande confirms relationship with Big Sean: 'I think the world of him'
Plumpest pumpkin: 2,058-pound gourd sets record
Could Crabzilla, a 50-foot-long crab be real?
Confederate officer's wartime diary decoded