The Disturbing Truth Behind Pennywise
There's some psychology behind the fear of clowns that ties quite succinctly into some of the ideas in It too. According to one study by the University of Sheffield, "clowns are universally disliked by children. Some found them quite frightening and unknowable." That doesn't quite sit with the idea that clowns ought to be loved by kids. But when you think about it, the idea of an adult disguised as something fanciful for the entertainment of children could only have come from adults. No child ever conceived of a child - they are things created by adults on an assumption that fundamentally fails to understand why they wouldn't EVER appeal.
The psychology states that clowns might be feared by children because their makeup hides their faces, potentially making them threats disguised as something supposedly innocent. Think about it: if you paint a permanent smile on your face, you're likely to have something to hide. And even if you don't, wearing a mask makes you permanently unpredictable when so much of how we interact with people is based on reading their expressions for insight.
Another study, this time by California State University concluded that young children are "very reactive to a familiar body type with an unfamiliar face". Children don't like disguises. It's why you see so many videos of infants traumatised by their fathers shaving off beards they've always had. Or why they react so poignantly to someone they know wearing a hat or glasses. It seems innocuous, but it's based on a fundamental fear.
And even more horrifyingly, clowns aren't just a naturally occurring thing to be scared of. They're crafted and essentially, as adults, we thrust the idea of clowns on children despite the way young brains perceive things almost guaranteeing they'd be scared of them. What torture!
No wonder they'd be stigmatised even further than a typical phobia in that context. They're not just terrifying, they're a terror gifted to children by parents. A monster birthed out of something supposedly nurturing. Imagine the horror of someone throwing you a birthday party and making the centre-piece something that makes your blood run cold. The horror of the clown would only be equalled by the perverse encouragement of your parents to love it. Their misunderstanding amplifying every fear tenfold and ruining every presumption of parental protection you ever have.
The idea of safe spaces is an intriguing one and it's actually something that fed into Bill Skarsgard's performance as Pennywise. Or at least his approach to establishing the right dynamic between himself and the young cast...