10 Horror Movie Villains Who Became Smarter In The Sequel

While It: Chapter 2 was compared negatively to its predecessor in many regards, Pennywise decided to go with a slightly smarter approach this time around.

Horror's most famous clown was not exactly thick to begin. Pennywise successfully terrorized the fictional town of Derry, Maine for centuries without being caught. When you look at a success rate like that, it seems almost laughable that such a seemingly unbeatable adversary was ultimately foiled by a group of children.

Pennywise clearly used his 27 years off with his nose buried in books and puzzles, because he emerged even smarter the second time around. Unleashing an adult - and even more psychotic - version of Henry Bowers from a mental asylum was a stroke of genius in itself; the deranged villain almost dispatched Eddie and Mike without Pennywise having to lift a finger!

However, Pennywise's amplified intellect is most obvious when he attempts to turn the Losers Club against each other in the climactic sequence, revealing Mike was aware that the original Natives who tried to perform the ritual to defeat him had died horribly in the process. Fortunately for viewers, Pennywise's improved smarts ultimately aren't enough to save him from his eventual demise at the hands of the group, who overcome their fears to rip out the malevolent being's heart.

It's worth noting that Pennywise still managed to take Eddie with him to the grave this time around - a further testament to his increased formidability.