10 Most Nightmarish Horror Movie Monsters
6. Pennywise - It
What's the matter? Don't you like clowns?
Whichever depiction might be the one to float your, uh, balloon, Pennywise the shape-shifting child-eater is the gold standard for horror movie clowns everywhere. Pennywise first traumatised children everywhere in 1990 with the TV miniseries It.
Played by a scenery (and child) chewing Tim Curry, Pennywise is responsible for a generation of coulrophobia. Twenty-seven years later, Bill Skarsgard's portrayal of the same character is more thrilling than scary, but has a few more tricks up his frilly sleeve. Not to mention the expensive CGI.
Both adaptations of Stephen King's epic novel have their flaws (some bigger than others), but Pennywise the Dancing Clown is not one of them. Whichever version you prefer, Pennywise remains a truly nightmarish horror creation; somehow at his most unsettling when at his most subtle. Just try to ignore the whole giant spider thing. Of all the great horror icons, Pennywise frequently floats to the top of the pack.