It
It ’s prescribed : 2017’sItis a corner government agency smash smash .
Based onStephen King ’s 1986 novel of the same name , Itfollows seven shaver in Derry , Maine who find a capriciously scary merry andrew identify Pennywise . While there is much to be panicky about the moving picture ’s antagonist , not a whole lot is in reality revealed about the backdrop of that lineament , by from the fact that it is an evil being who enjoys torturing kids .
With the success of this 2017 remaking ( presently enjoyinga score of 86%on Rotten Tomatoes ) and the cult follow behind the 1990 television movie , the wonder surrounding Pennywise The Dancing Clown is stronger than ever , yieldingall sorts of Internet memes , establish him asa gay icon who bechance to date the Babadook , and already fueling early talks ofa very potential continuation . It’sa welcome change of pacefor generator Stephen King after seeing the highly - look to cinematic version ofThe Dark Towerfail critically and commercially .
But … where does Pennywise come in from ? Why straining The Losers Club ? Is that clown even a somebody ? How can It be everywhere at the same time ? When did this monster arrive in Derry , Maine ?
Get ready to blow , because here are15 shake up Things You Did n’t Know About Pennywise .
IT IS NOT FROM EARTH
Though Pennywise ab initio just looks like a valet dressed up as a buffoon , it becomes very unclouded early on that we ’re deal with a supernatural being that simply search like a clown . Well , as a matter of fact , It is not even from Earth .
It , the entity , is fromsomething called the “ Macroverse,”which is a conception established by author Stephen King inThe Dark Towernovels . From that so - promise Macroverse , It crashed onto Earth and stay hibernating up until 1715 , when it first wake up . After that awakening , It begin doing evil title every 27 - ish ( sometimes close-fitting to 30 ) years in Derry , Maine .
Many fans speculate whether the metropolis of Derry became evilbecauseIt crashed onto it , or whether the metropolis had something evil about it all along and was by design chosen by It for that reason .
WHY IT SCARES CHILDREN
Because Pennywise seem to be so mighty and supernatural , many have question over time what the point was for the clown to be wasting time scaring tike off . In a style , it sure as shooting looked like It could just use up the tyke at any give minute , not needing to squander any meter barrack veneration into the heart of those victim .
But according to the mythos that surrounds Pennywise , the entity trust that children taste a draw better when frighten , which explains why Itgoes to great length to terrorize them . In the merry andrew ’s own Holy Writ : “ You all taste so much better when you ’re afraid ! ”
While Pennywise technically does n’t have to terrorise the children it down , the goof seems to really delight the cognitive process and get a very tasty meal out of it .
IT HAS MANY POWERS
Pennywise has so many powers that , going down the list , it almost seems like we ’re talk about a comical script superhero or scoundrel . It is capable of shapeshifting , summoning illusion , becoming temporarily invisible , revitalize itself , controlling psyche , communicating through telepathy , and psychokinesis . It ’s almost like Pennywise is the evil clown version ofJean Grey .
Looks away , one of the scariest thing about Pennywise is that , like The Losers Club , just as readers ( and TV audience ) get the tactual sensation that now we completely understand everything It is able of , a new great power is introduced to frighten us even more .
While it is not dead on target that Pennywise is invincible , it in spades does feel , at time , that children of Derry , Maine do n’t stand a chance against The Dancing Clown .
IT IS MORE THAN JUST PENNYWISE
As antecedently established , It is a shapeshifter , which means that Pennywise The Dancing Clown is emphatically not the only variety this entity has take .
grant to theItmythos , this creature has beenThe Mummy , the shark fromJaws , Dracula , Frankenstein ’s Monster , a Werewolf , and many other supernatural monsters that fright human beings . This entity deliberately chooses to take on the form of whatever freaky animal humans are most frightened of at any given time , which explains why Pennywise – a clown – is the shape It chose to become in the 1980s .
Since It has come back every 27 - ish year since 1715 , we can wear that this entity has taken on dozens of unlike forms of all shapes and sizes during its prison term terrify tyke on Earth .
PENNYWISE HAS WEAKNESSES
Even though It seems like an omnipresent and all - powerful entity , it is established by the Stephen King novel that It has to obey the physical legal philosophy of whatever form it take on .
This mean that , as the Pennywise clown , It is sort of only as strong as a supernatural clown could be , and as the shark fromJaws , It was sort of only as physically capable as a supernatural shark could be .
This bit of information explains why Pennywise ( and It ’s other forms ) are capable of hemorrhage , getting offend , and being vote down . There are weaknesses to It , and Stephen King establishes that spirit such as braveness and friendship can defeat the monster in its most brawny form .
While it is definitely hard to injure ( or even keep up with ) Pennywise , it is no secret can It can be defeated .
IT WAS INSPIRED BY A REAL SERIAL KILLER
Written in 1986 , theItnovel is one of Stephen King ’s most successful and well - recognized books in chronicle . But as the storey goes , Pennywise was not needs a wholly original origination from King ’s header . Instead , it seems like the antagonist was inhale by John Wayne Gacy , a serial killer known as “ Killer Clown ” who get along to the spotlight in the recent 1970s .
John Wayne Gacy would enclothe up as a clown to sexually assault and pop adolescent boys , and was responsible for for at least 33 crimes in the United States Department of State of Illinois . He was finally arrest in 1978 ( after committing such crimes since 1972 ) and was sentenced to death in 1980 .
Both Pennywise and Gacy were clowns who targeted young boys in a particular geographical neighborhood to pull murders , so the comparisons are definitely worth the attention .
IT WAS ALSO INSPIRED BY POPULAR CULTURE CLOWNS
Besides John Wayne Gacy , Stephen King has credit pop civilisation goofball such as Bozo and Ronald McDonald as references for Pennywise ’s unrecorded - activity looking at . The similarities are all there : the very clean elongated face , the line of descent - crimson lip , the puffy orange hair … Pennywise was actually made to look like quite the intermediate goofball .
According to the sameinterview with Conan O’Brienwhere Stephen King mentioned an brush with Ronald McDonald , the author utter how he basically believe that clowns were always just entertaining for parent , but ultimately terrify for kid . That there had always been something “ monstrous ” about these larger - than - life creatures who are try out to get the care of children .
Needless to say , the World Clown Associationis not very happywith the success ofItand the stigma the movie encourage about clowns .
PENNYWISE IS IN OTHER STEPHEN KING BOOKS
Though Pennywise originated inIt , where he is arguably the main character ( and antagonist ) , not many people bed that the fiber has really been featured or teased in other Stephen King novels .
Though very briefly , Pennywise seems to look inThe Tommyknockers , and was advert by name in the books11/22/63(which was adapted as a alive - action miniseries on Hulu),Gray Matter , Dreamcatcher , andInsomnia . to boot , though he was not featured inThe Dark Tower , it was that novel that set up the conception of Macroverse , which is where It originated from .
Stephen King ’s stories do not all subsist in the same cosmos , but the author does occasionally enjoy making odd connections between his otherwise unrelated novel , and there is a myriad of devotee hypothesis across the net about unofficial linkup between the work of Stephen King .
THE 1990 PENNYWISE ORIGINALLY LOOKED VERY DRAMATIC
Tim Curry ’s had a very big experience with set up a mountain of war paint every day while shooting 1985’sLegend , in which he play the persona of Darkness . So it was understandable that the actor almost passed on the role of Pennywise in the 1990 adaptation ofItfor dreading the tenacious minute in the physical composition cubicle to portray a goofball .
Thankfully , Tim Curry gaveIta prospect , and was able to deed over us the iconic original performance of Pennywise that , for age , obsess our dreams . For that to happen , however , the very theatrical and spectacular Pennywise war paint that was originally intended for the 1990 reading of the reference was brought down several notches due to the role player ’s postulation .
ALICE COOPER ALMOST PLAYED PENNYWISE
As Tim Curry was unsure of whether he was interested in portray Pennywise for the 1990 bouncy - activity edition ofIt , other names were see for the role , and one of them was Alice Cooper , the rockstar .
Though Alice Cooper is mostly known for his broad musical catalogue ( earning him a station in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ) , he was also always involved with cinematic productions , including the 1984 horrorMonster Dog , John Carpenter ’s 1987 filmPrince of Darkness , 2009’sSuck , and 2012’sDark ShadowsandBigfoot .
It is unsealed whether Alice Cooper actually considered star in the film or if he was just a placeholder for Tim Curry to make a decision , but that would ’ve certainly been a very unlike take on the iconic 1990 version of Pennywise .
