With the release of IT: Chapter 2 in cinemas up and down the country, we got to thinking about the central villainous figure of the flick, Pennywise! Played expertly by Bill Skarsgård, he's a monstrosity who feeds on the children of Derry, Maine - but how much do you really know about the Stephen King character? Here, we break down some of the most shocking and surprising facts surrounding the evil entity!
7. Pennywise isn't just a clown
Pennywise is best-described as a shapeshifting entity, despite appearing in both of the IT films as a dancing clown for the majority of time spent on screen. The villain will morph into whatever it believes will frighten its victims the most, and for the children of Derry, that just happens to be the balloon-giving circus freak.
6. Ronald McDonald is the inspiration for Pennywise
Stephen King has gone on the record in the past, confirming that McDonald's icon Ronald McDonald is the inspiration behind Pennywise the dancing clown. He wasn't the only one, with Bozo the clown and Clarabell from Howdy Doody also serving as inspiration!
5. He's older than our universe
Pennywise actually existed before The Big Bang, which created the universe. After landing on Earth following its creation, the entity went into hibernation until he woke up in 18th century America. Hundreds of settlers then went missing in Derry, which helped sustain Pennywise until their next period of hibernation.
4. A turtle is Pennywise's arch-enemy
As such a terrifying creature, you wouldn't think a turtle would be the adversary that worries Pennywise the most. From another ancient Macroverse, The Turtle is a character that Stephen King says created our universe, and was created by an entity called 'The Other', which is also responsible for Pennywise! The Turtle isn't just a character from IT, but one that appears in The Dark Tower novel series, where he's called Maturin.
3. His diet doesn't just consist of kids
Despite focusing his ire on children most of the time, Pennywise is an entity that can actually eat anything in the entire universe. Picking whole planets clean, the villain usually goes after children because he finds their fear delicious. Terrifying!
2. Pennywise originates from a universe called Deadlights
It's said that anybody who sees alternate universe Deadlights, will instantly go insane. Only one person has survived the experience, and it's possible that they were able to see Pennywise in his true form if he was in the universe at the time, as it's the only place where he can be his true self.
1. He does have his limitations
Pennywise is an entity that seems unbeatable and immortal at times, but he is a force that has his own limitations. Whichever form he takes, he must obey the physical laws of that form. Still, that might not mean much when he can rip his mouth back and consume anything in the world!
IT: Chapter 2 is in cinemas across the globe now.