Pennywise

It, commonly known as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, is the titular main antagonist of Stephen King's 1986 horror novel It, and its adaptations. The character is an ancient, trans-dimensional malevolent entity who preys upon the children (and sometimes adults) of the fictional town of Derry, Maine, roughly every 27 years, using a variety of supernatural powers that include the abilities to shapeshift and manipulate reality. Over the course of the story, the character primarily appears in the form of Pennywise the Dancing Clown. A group of Derry children who call themselves the "Losers Club" becomes aware of Pennywise's presence after it kills Losers Club leader Bill Denbrough's little brother, Georgie; the children then decide to hunt it down and kill it. Pennywise was portrayed by Tim Curry in the 1990 television adaptation and by Bill Skarsgård in the 2017 film adaptation, its 2019 sequel It Chapter Two, and the HBO prequel series It: Welcome to Derry. Inspired by fairytale trolls, King conceived of a shapeshifting entity living in the sewers that could embody whatever frightened its target most. Pennywise became the central form It used to lure children—appearing to be a harmless clown. Scholars and critics have noted the effectiveness of this design, as clowns are commonly viewed as uncanny (both in the sense of coulrophobia and in the form of the uncanny valley). Across the various adaptations of It, Pennywise's visual performance evolution reinforced coulrophobia. Curry's performance in the 1990 miniseries emphasized charm masking a hidden evil, while Skarsgård's version leaned into overt horror with twitchy movements and an animalistic stare. Critics praised Skarsgård's performance as sadistic and alien. Scholars also commented on how the character's various forms channeled classic childhood fears while also reflecting deeper social issues.