Clowns, they’re all around us. They are comic performers who use slapstick and physical comedy to entertain children and adults at parties and circuses. Clowns make us laugh and forget about our everyday problems, which they can, but some people fear clowns, AKA Coulrophobia. Per Chapman University, 7.8 percent of people in the United States are afraid of clowns.
People fear clowns and rightfully so. 2016 became the year of the creepy clowns. Per The New York Times, a site called Creepypasta has given birth to the clown hysteria in 2016. Per Time Magazine website, the clown hysteria started in South Carolina in August and spread out from there. They continue to say some of the reports were hoaxes, but there were arrests made. In late September, early October, Pennsylvania State University carried out a clown hunt. Oh, let’s not forget the serial killer John Wayne Gacy AKA Pogo the Clown, who was found guilty of killing 33 young males. It is no surprise that people are and can be afraid of clowns, which leads to some people to feed off that fear.
Who better than to play off those fears then the King of Horror himself, Stephen King. Viking Press published a book written by Stephen King back in 1986 called “It.” The story is about a group of kids, The Losers Club, being terrorized by a supernatural entity in the town of Derry, Maine back in the late 1950s. The children call this entity IT. To one boy, Georgie, the clown introduced himself as Mr. Bob Gray, AKA Pennywise. Even though we see Pennywise defeated, he returns in the mid-1980s and the Losers Club (those who are left) return to Derry once more to face their fears. The book was on the New York Times Best Seller List for 18 weeks at number one.
Video from: Joey Diaz
Video from: The Popcorn Drop
In 1990 director Tommy Lee Wallace directed a two-part episode starring our favorite “sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania,” Tim Curry as the clown Pennywise on ABC. The first episode aired on November 18th, 1990 and came in fifth place with 17.2 million homes watching the show. The second part of the series aired on November 20th, 1990 coming in second place with 19.2 million homes watching. For people who are afraid of clowns, millions were hooked on Pennywise.
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After 27 years, director Andrés Muschietti of “Mama” fame went to Maine and performed a summoning ritual. He has called upon the dark forces that only Stephen King wields. Okay, he had help from Cary Dauberman, Chase Palmer, and Cary Joji Fukunaga, and they resurrected Pennywise. Coming this fall the town of Derry, Maine will be coming to a theater near you. Will you survive the wrath of Pennywise, die by his claws, or will you join the Losers club in defeating “IT”?
We will not get to see Tim Curry reprise his role, but Bill Skarsgård from “Hemlock Grove” will play our killer clown and Finn Wolfhard of “Stranger Things” will play Richie Tozier. Like the series, the movie is in two parts. What are your thoughts and feelings on this remake?
