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Pennywise ’s origin story inITshows the complex mythology behind the terrifying horror movie monster . Pennywise the Clown is a supernatural enemy who has all sort of nightmarish powers at his garbage disposal to terrify his victims . The occupant of Derry , Maine are visit by Pennywise every 27 year , tap the greatest awe of his victims who be given to be the youngest and most vulnerable citizens of the cursed town . The two - partITmovie further cement Pennywise as an iconic repulsion film baddie while exposing more of his dark beginnings .
Pennywise works as a mystery to his victim , do it all the more terrifying when they are confronted with his incredible power and apparently unrelenting nature . However , the iconic clown persona that appears to George in the sewer in the first flick is just scratching the aerofoil of the truth behind Pennywise . From where this evil being came from to its terrific honest form , there are a lot of details to be explored in Pennywise ’s blood line taradiddle .
Stephen King ’s 1986 horror novel IT sport a nefarious clown that feed off of children . Here are the real - life crimes that inspired Pennywise .
Where Pennywise Comes From
Pennywise Arrived On Earth Centuries Ago
Despite his iconic and unsettling visual aspect , Pennywise is not a buffoon but rather an ancient , malefic being that is perhaps as old as the universe of discourse itself . In the novel , the entity IT / Pennywise ’s real name is Bob Gray . Bob Gray is n’t human and partake the same blood line as IT . The human name was a touch of surrealism on King ’s part seen in other novels , offering a collocation to the foresighted unutterable names of standardised cosmic beings from Lovecraft novels , like Nyarlathotep or Yog - Sothoth . The films chose to drop this to an extent , as it does n’t interpret as well to concealment .
IT number from the vacuum that contains the entirety of existence . This distance - beyond - space in Pennywise ’s origin story is call the Macroverse ( also pertain to as the Todash Darkness inStephen King’sDark Towernovels ) . IT ’s home base property is a realm that sits alongside ours in the Macroverse , and Pennywise ’s specific corner of cosmic real estate is called the Deadlights . At some point , Pennywise left Deadlight and trip across the Macroverse , entering our universe .
Pennywise arrived on Earth in a cataclysmal event millions of years ago . He set ashore in the part of what would become North America , specifically where the townspeople of Derry , Maine , eventually comes to be built . Pennywise log Z’s beneath the Earth for millions of years , awaiting the arrival of humankind . Whenthe town of Derry was built in 1715 , IT awoke and start a cycle of feeding on the fears of the hoi polloi of Derry and then resuming hibernation for cycle of 27 to 30 age .
Pennywise the goof care to shapeshift , and take many different forms in IT : Chapter One and Two . Here ’s everything IT transformed into .
Why Pennywise Eats Kids
How Has Pennywise Gone Unnoticed?
The clown in IT does n’t technically eat kids — it devour their fear , but the process is calamitous . Pennywise / IT preys on the children of Derry because their fears are easier to attest into a physical physique and harvest . King decided for IT to predominantlytake the shape of Pennywise the Dancing Clownbecause he believes " clowns frighten off children more than anything else in the world . "
IT influences the adult of Derry to passively ignore it and not interfere with his attacks on Derry ’s children . However , he ’s not above deplete adult when the mood happen upon . Because IT misrepresent the mind of the people of Derry , they do n’t dwell on the tragedies that occur . Therefore , despite the telephone number of baby who go missing , adults just passively stake unexampled missing photos over the onetime ones and continue on as if nothing is wrong .
Pennywise is n’t just responsible for spate of missing children every 27 - 30 twelvemonth though . As Ben ( Jeremy Ray Taylor ) discovered when he research Derry ’s account in the program library , IT has been a part of the terror and death in Derry for centuries . Pennywise was creditworthy for the burst at the Kitchener Iron Works that killed 108 people , including 88 children .
It Chapter One is a supernatural horror film based on the book by Stephen King where several children, including the younger brother of one of the film’s protagonists, have gone missing. A group of kids called “The Loser’s Club” decide to investigate the cause and hopefully save the others. However, they realize they may be in over their head when they discover their foe is an evil clown known as Pennywise, a being that preys on fear and has been the rumored cause of murders in the town of Derry for centuries.
IT can also be awaken by an enactment of violence on top of Pennywise ’s 27 - 30 class round . The 1986Stephen King’sITnovelbegins with a boy named Dorcey Corcoran being amaze to death by his stepfather , Richard Macklin , in 1957 , which awakens Pennywise . Pennywise main end is terrific and subsequently consuming children , but he also simply relish and causes fury , mayhem , and general massacre .
While Pennywise says many alarm thing throughout the IT movies and miniseries , some quotes from the clown are creepy than others .
What Is Pennywise’s True Form?
Pennywise Takes Multiple Forms Over The Course Of The Movie
Pennywise is a shapeshifter that takes the form of whatever its victim dread the most . Pennywise the Clown , offering children balloons as it did to littleGeorgie ( Jackson Robert Scott ) at the beginning of the firstITmovie , is just the preferred strong-arm chassis though . IT exact many other shape , such as a homeless leper chasing Eddie ( Jack Dylan Grazer ) and the woman in the painting that terrorize Stan ( Wyatt Oleff ) .
In the novel , IT train on even more embodiment , like a giant wanderer and several famous freak the producers ofITdon’t have the cinematic rights to . These included Dracula , the Wolfman , the animal from the Black Lagoon , Frankenstein ’s Monster , the shark fromJaws , and Rodan .
In the original Stephen King novelIT , Billy ( Jaeden Lieberher ) glimpse Pennywises ’s true form in the Deadlights for a moment , andhe described it as an endless , crawling , hirsute tool made of orange light . Though IT like to evidence itself as a male clown name Pennywise , in the novel , IT also read the human body of an tremendous female spider .
InIT : Chapter 2,Richie ( played by Bill Hader ) also glimpse Pennywise ’s true form at the film ’s flood tide . InIT Chapter 2,Pennywise is shown as a trio of glow lightsswimming among innumerous walls of what seems to be red - hot flesh . The experience is enough to have Richie ’s eyes to roll back in his skull , and consider the Deadlights nearly kills him . This was a great direction for the movie version to take since IT / Pennywise is supposed to be a cosmic entity and godlike front in King ’s across-the-board fabricated canyon .
IT ’s natural enemy is another sovereign being from the Macroverse called The Turtle . The Turtle also appear inThe Dark Towerseries as Maturin , one of the Guardians of the Beam , but IT describes himself as " the superior being . " Whether Pennywise is more brawny than The Turtle is n’t lie with . However , the fact it ’s disputable in the context of Maturin being one of the entities holding King ’s cross - title fabricated realness together is a will to Pennywise being rightfully powerful .
Pennywise the Dancing Clown from Stephen King ’s IT has underwent substantial development for film and television receiver since its emergence in 1989 .
What Powers Pennywise Has
Does Pennywise Have Weaknesses?
As an ancient supernatural evil , IT has a overplus of superpowers . In addition to shapeshifting , Pennywise can also cast deception . It was IT that demonstrate the fire responsible for killing Mike ’s ( Chosen Jacobs ) parent . IT can project himself into photograph like the slideshow of Billy ’s family the Losers watched in Billy ’s garage and can come along and disappear at will . This last power is evidence when he shows up in the wood to look out when Mike is being attacked by Henry Bowers ( Nicholas Hamilton ) and his gang of thugs .
Pennywise ’s most deadly power is the ability to pull wires how people perceive reality , which is how IT got off with centuries of fury . This superpower is why Alvin Marsh ( Stephen Bogaert ) , the abusive founding father of Beverly ( Sophia Lillis ) , could n’t see that their entire can was covered in descent after IT attacked Beverly .
When the Losers found Pennywise ’s lair in the sewers , they saw the cadaver of every IT baby victim floating above — one example of the telekinesis he possesses . Despite all of IT ’s powers , however , he evidence vulnerable to physical flack once the Losers were able to get over their fear of Pennywise .
IT is able to regenerate himself , as he did when Beverly speared Pennywise through his head , but only up to a point , and this is diminished if his assailant is n’t afraid . After the amount of physical damage he demand from the combined and emboldened Losers , Pennywise had to recede to the intestine beneath Derry to go back to sleep and regenerate for 27 years .
Both IT and its sequel , Chapter Two , certainly did judge to Pennywise . But fan of the novel will be warm to remark that these facts were leave out .
Why Pennywise Isn’t Bob Gray In The Movies
Where Did The Clown Image Come From?
The movies have a unlike approach when it come to the Pennywise origin story , with IT ’s name being Robert " Bob " Gray . InIT : Chapter 2,there is a lengthy exposition discussion section explaining the origins of Pennywise the Dancing Clown . There was a human Pennywise the Dancing Clown , but IT just took his form . In the movie canon , Pennywise the Dancing Clown was a real person whose image IT decided was terrifying enough for its needs .
The scene where Ms. Derch told Pennywise the Dancing Clown ’s origin fib inIT : Chapter 2created an unmistakable plot of ground kettle of fish , but this is just because it did n’t explain itself understandably enough . To illustrate , if IT had originally arrived at the bottom of Camp Crystal Lake , he would likely have study the form of Jason Voorhees , or Leatherface if in Texas . Pennywise the Dancing Clown is never named Bob Gray in the movies , nor is the name said aloud , but many buff mistakenly connect the two and take for granted Robert Gray is the human in the photo .
IT ’s main villain , Pennywise , becomes even more terrifying when taking into bill their full killing tally , and the phone number is high than expected .
Were The Changes Made To Pennywise Good?
The Reworked Pennywise Origins Worked For The IT Movies
The origin of Pennywise inITandIT Chapter Twowere changed importantly from Stephen King ’s original 1986 novel . While there may be some fans of the Quran who did n’t like the alteration , it ’s unmanageable to indicate that they were n’t positive and more suitable for the on - CRT screen adaption . The origins of Pennywise in Stephen King’sITnovel were both quite ambiguous and , in many ways , incredibly complex .
Stephen King ’s version of Pennywise was a cosmic horror being that required a good deal of account when it come to its history and backstory . The movies kept some of the core face of this , such as Pennywise hail from the inter - dimensional realm known as the deadlight . However , there were also some convoluted aspect to the on - page version ofITthat would simply have find clunky for an on - screen variation of the character .
look of Pennywise like his connection to the Macroverse and Stephen King ’s wide partake in horror universe simply would n’t have work out in theITmovies . Andy Muschietti ’s interlingual rendition of the sea wolf clown exists in a standalone story , with no connections to a wider horror cosmogony like its on - page similitude . Streamlining the origins of Pennywise forITandIT Chapter Twowas a good choice when adapting King ’s novel . Muschietti managed to ensure the character remained mysterious , but also chip in it a more digestible backstory that did n’t risk confusing viewer .
It must also be noted that , despite the changes , the new Pennywise origins in theITmovies did n’t lose the core aspects of the character . Pennywise , in both versions , is an interdimensional being that visits Earth to tip . The changes were n’t dramatically different , and emphatically did n’t alter what makes Pennywise such a terrifying comportment to the people of Derry . With this in mind , it ’s dependable to say that the changes to the Pennywise backstory for theITfilms were good and justified .
What The Movies Changed About Pennywise From The Book
The More Complex Ideas From King’s Novel Were Simplified
The 2017ITand 2019IT : Chapter 2change a lot of details from the original Stephen King novel , specially when it come to Pennywise . As mentioned , the uncannily normal name Bob Gray was dropped for the movies . While a Lovecraftian cosmic being with one of the most quotidian names ever conceived works in a horror novel , if IT had been named Bob Gray in the pic , it would have impart many audience members believing Pennywise used to be a homo .
Pennywise also takes many unlike conformation in the novel . These were remove from the movie for licensing reasons , especially since some were character like the shark fromJawsand Rodan from theGodzillamovies . The methods Pennywise uses in the rule book vary slightly too , and his tilt of victims is bombastic . Book featuring Pennywise also make many allusions to Stephen King ’s fabricated universe , but perceivable reference to The Turtle are remove inITandIT : Chapter 2 .
IT has been conform several time , but each time Pennywise ’s account is condensed . Here ’s how It ’s chronicle could be separate better through a TV show .
HBO Are Going To Explore Pennywise Origins In A Prequel Series
The Series Will Focus On The Town At The Center Of Pennywise’s Reign Of Terror
The Pennywise origin account is run to be divulge in full in theupcoming HBO prequel seriesWelcome to Derry . plentifulness of Stephen King tarradiddle are do in the fancied town of Derry , Maine , withITby far being the most memorable . The 2011 movieBag of Bonesis also set in the township . However , it expect as though theITprequel series will be solely focalize on the tales told inIT . Andy Muschietti’sITbrought in fans of the franchise erstwhile and new , and it ’s become quite popular over the age thanks to his two late lineament films .
in all probability , Welcome to Derrywill zero in on the other stories in King ’s novel about the townsfolk . Pennywise ’s origin floor see the grievous fauna come back to the town every 27 year to create unspeakable tragedies and chaos , with the first recorded case seeing 340 unnamed settlers perish . While all of Pennywise ’s effort are say in all-embracing stroke duringIT : Chapter 1andChapter 2 , he ’s mainly responsible for every horrible issue that bechance in the townspeople ’s history . The prequel serial publication will belike explore these awful instances , further adding color to the descent story .
last with a prequel serial , rather thansomething likeIT : Chapter 3 , is a smart move on the studios ' part . Atelevision show format allows for greater exploration of a characterthat has become such a pop culture fascination over the year . In increase , prequel serial are implausibly popular right now , with theStar Warsfranchise leading the camp with properties likeAndorandObi - Wan Kenobi .
Bigger interrogative sentence can be answered about the mysterious celestial creature , like why he returns every 27 age or how he number down on an asteroid . Surely others besides the Losers Club have encountered Pennywise before , and now , the Pennywise origin story can be fully fleshed out with theITprequel seriesWelcome to Derry .
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It Chapter One is a supernatural horror film base on the Word by Stephen King where several children , including the immature brother of one of the pic ’s protagonists , have run missing . A group of tike called " The Loser ’s Club " resolve to investigate the cause and hopefully lay aside the others . However , they see they may be in over their head when they strike their foe is an evilness merry andrew known as Pennywise , a being that prey on fear and has been the rumor cause of murders in the town of Derry for century .
