3 Ways Pennywise the Clown Proved He Was the Superior Horror Villain
November 18, 1990, was the day IT, the TV miniseries, debuted — spawning a new generation of clown-fearing children. Unlike other classic horror villains, Pennywise the Clown, played by Tim Curry, can operate at any hour of the day and can only be seen by his potential victims, namely children. Imagine the feeling of trying to tell your parents there’s an actual monster in your closet and they don’t believe you — times one-hundred! That’s how scary Pennywise is. While you may be watching other horror villains at work this Halloween, overlooking IT would be a travesty.
Here are three ways Tim Curry’s Pennywise the Clown proved he was the superior horror villain.
1) He knows how to lure victims towards him
Pennywise knows each kid’s heart’s desire and uses it to his advantage. It’s a disturbingly genius way to lure your prey instead of having to chase them down like Michael Meyers or Norman Bates. There’s no better example than IT’s arguably most infamous scene featuring Billy’s little brother Georgie and a certain paper boat. Pennywise is wise to children’s naiveté and propensity to be influenced, and while Georgie was hesitant at first, he ultimately succumbed to Pennywise’s trap.
2) He can drive people insane
If you were lucky enough to survive Pennywise as a kid, you had more problems to worry about than just being an adult with coulrophobia (the fear of clowns). For example, Stan was so afraid of facing Pennywise again as an adult that he took his own life before the Losers Club reunited. Henry Bowers was literally driven insane by Pennywise’s deadlights. Coulrophobia doesn’t sound like an irrational fear after all, especially if you were a kid watching IT for the first time!
3) His transformation is absolutely terrifying
Pennywise was a pleasant enough looking clown to make Laurie Anne, the little girl from the opening scene, smile. He also got Georgie to trust him after enough sweet-talking. However, Pennywise’s transformation into the yellow-eyed and fanged version of himself is as petrifying as his deadlights. It surely doesn’t help that 2016 was the year of evil clown sightings. So while you’re marathoning classic horror movies and want a legit-scary monster, consider adding IT to your playlist.
Joanna Pinto is the Fall 2017 Creative Services Intern at the Paley Center. She’s a senior at Brooklyn College who loves discovering new places in NYC. She recently discovered HBO’s Oz and is binge-watching every season.
