The Man has a Pathological Phobia of Clowns.
Johnny Depp has a severe anxiety disorder regarding the clown character archetype, despite the fact that he has played a number of roles in which he has appeared to be a clown on screen. In 1999, he took part in a promotional tour for Sleepy Hollow, and he said that the painted face and phoney smile gave him the chills. He also said that he felt like he was being watched.
Additionally, he mentioned that he did not care for the character Ichabod Crane in the story. It seemed like something was always evil, something with the capacity to cause serious harm, hiding just below the surface. This was the impression that was given. This is the impression that a person would get from it.