Here it is. After countless attempts, Stephen King‘s masterpiece of horror It is making its way to the big screen. Filming is underway and now we have our very first look at the film’s iconic villain, Pennywise the Dancing Clown, played by Bill Skarsgård. Check out this nightmare factory:
I appreciate the simplicity of the makeup design a lot. The classic red nose isn’t a prosthetic but is just painted on. And I dig how his painted grin becomes part of his eyes. That’s a very cool choice. I’m also a fan of how his makeup seems to be cracking at the top of his skull. It’s almost like something else is breaking through the facade.
Granted, this is a very early peek and doesn’t show off a whole bunch of the character but it’s a good start. More than his appearance I am intrigued to see how Pennywise is portrayed in this version. The character was indelibly played by Tim Curry in the 1990 miniseries, but his Pennywise was so purposefully abrasive that I never bought the idea that children would be lured to him. There should be an insidious warmth to Pennywise at times and I hope we’ll see that play out in the new film.
It’s wise that the production chose Pennywise for its first official reveal. He’s quite possibly the most notable evil clown in pop culture history and many fans feel that Tim Curry’s portrayal of the character is going to be tough to follow.
Director Andy Muschietti is in the middle of filming the two-part adaptation and It: Part One is due out on September 8th of next year. I’m keeping my fingers and toes crossed on this one. It could be the horror event film I’ve been hoping for. The Conjuring 2 certainly wasn’t.
