In horror, there’s something deeply disturbing about an unrelenting force that manages to leave viewers paralyzed with fear simply by standing in plain sight. Think of how Jason Voorhees stalks the hapless visitors of Camp Crystal Lake from afar, or the way Hannibal Lecter stares down Clarice Starling with an eerie calmness. Always watching, always waiting.
For It, that threat takes the form of Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård), a demonic entity able to manifest itself in a variety of different forms – each more terrifying than the last. And given how Pennywise develops a taste for children, expect Skarsgård’s monster to haunt the citizens of Derry, Maine as an old-timey clown. Dressed in period garb and clutching on to a blood-red balloon, the mere sight of Pennywise is enough to send a chill or three down the spine, and it’s a testimony to New Line’s make-up department – not to mention Bill Skarsgård’s subtle performance – that we’re already beginning to tremble with fear ahead of It‘s theatrical release in September.
And so, in order to keep fans on a knife edge, the studio has today summoned forth another still of Skarsgård in costume as Pennywise the Clown, which you’ll be able to find below.
Casting-wise, Stranger Things breakout Finn Wolfhard is attached to the part of Richie Tozier, who spearheads the fight against Pennywise on behalf of the Losers Club, a group of like-minded freaks and geeks comprised of Bill Denbrough (Jaeden Lieberher), Ben Hanscom (Jeremy Ray Taylor), Stan Uris (Wyatt Oleff), Mike Hanlon (Chosen Jacobs), Eddie Kaspbrak (Jack Dylan Grazer) and Beverly Marsh (Sophia Lillis).
As previously reported, New Line plans to split its King adaptation into two chapters, beginning with the release of It Part 1 – The Losers Club on September 8th. Assuming everything goes according to plan, a sequel will claw its way into theaters in the not-so-distant future to bring an end to the Pennywise saga once and for all.
