10 Horror Movie Background Scares That Will Scar You For Life

2017's IT wrested Pennywise from Tim Curry's grasp and offered a new generation the chance to be scared of drains, balloons and, of course, big white clowns.

Bill Skarsgård's creepy clown came gurning and giggling straight out of the box, putting an indelible stamp on contemporary horror culture and our nightmares, as he terrified the children of the fictional North-Eastern town of Derry. But director Andy Muschietti, who made his bones with supernatural chiller Mama (2013), built layers of scares into every scene of the film, relying on Pennywise's ubiquity to ground even some of the most out-there apparitions.

And one scene in particular caught our eyes and minds, thanks in no small part to its inherent ambiguity. As Ben (Jeremy Ray Taylor) is researching Derry's history in the library, the librarian appears behind him, out of focus but undeniably grinning and leering. When the camera's focus settles again, however, she is simply sorting books on the shelves.

Is it Pennywise in an old lady guise? Has the clown infected the townspeople? Or is she merely a sinister old woman with nothing better to do than leer at young boys? Whatever the case, once you've noticed this background detail, you'll never fall asleep in the library again...