The Pumpkin King: It (1990)
I’ve never really understood the idea that clowns are meant for amusement. Who doesn’t find clowns at least a little creepy? For many like myself, there is one clown that terrified a generation of millennials (not Ronald McDonald) but that is Pennywise the Dancing Clown from the television miniseries It (1990). Based on one of Stephen King’s most famous novels, It was released as a two-part miniseries in November 1990 on ABC. However, for many like myself, we were too young to see the premiere that week. Later, It was that mysterious two-tape VHS box with the creepy clown at the video store and later viewed many times on the USA Network on cable TV.
Seeing It for the first time was my gateway to the horrifying and fascinating world that Stephen King had created before I knew of all his other novels and film adaptations. Years later King’s novel would be adapted again to the big screen in two blockbuster films: IT and IT: CHAPTER 2, terrifying a new generation. Nevertheless, the original adaptation is still a must-see, especially as an adult if you have not revisited it in some time.
Like the novel, It unfolds mainly as flashbacks. Childhood friends known as the “Losers Club” return to their hometown 30 years later to vanquish the evil entity “It” once and for all. Pennywise is just one of the interpretations of “It” as the entity also terrifies its prey by transforming into their worst fears and anxieties. The first part of the miniseries focuses mainly on the Losers Club as children. It may be the most rewatchable part of the story as you view their first encounter with Pennywise and how the Losers Club came together. When young Georgie meets his demise in the sewer drain by Pennywise it's still horrifying and iconic. For me, when young Eddie Kaspbrak encounters Pennywise in the school shower it made me also want to change the channel on my TV. The zoom-in to his teeth, the laughter, the eyes—everything about that clown is so memorable, particularly in that scene. Just the feeling have to take a shower at school is scary enough, and adding a killer clown is genius. It’s still a little shocking that this scene and many other sequences with Pennywise were on TV, let alone a broadcast channel like ABC over 30 years ago.
To many, the story is still most memorable in the flashbacks because you connect with the “young” Losers Club as a kid. However, when rewatching it as an adult almost the same age as the “old” Losers Club the story makes you feel different. When the Losers Club reunite as adults, they turn back to themselves as children. The excitement, the jokes, the laughter, and the old memories return. Many of us as adults have had that experience when visiting our hometown, showing up to a class reunion, or running into someone at a bar that we hadn’t seen in what feels like a lifetime. It’s a moment of quick joy and nostalgia but then sometimes back to a harsh reality.
As a child, I used to believe the reunion scene in the Chinese Food restaurant was one of the most boring scenes but now it may be one of the best. The adult performances of the characters are better than what I remember. The late greats John Ritter, as the adult Ben Hanscom, and Harry Anderson as the adult Richie Tozier stand out, but all the adult performances are great. There are aspects of their adult lives that many adults can relate to. Will I ever find love? Do I enjoy my career? Why do I not yet have children or am married? Am I happy? Realistic anxieties for adults. It may be difficult to admit for some, but many people still deal with childhood fears and traumas in their adulthood.
Just because you “grow up,” leave your hometown, and get a great job doesn’t necessarily mean your past has been dealt with. It’s such a relatable and powerful theme of this story. The second part of the miniseries on initial viewings felt less exciting years ago but now it’s more haunting and emotional despite some of the campiness of a lower-budget television miniseries. The climax with the “giant spider” like monster still does not hold up though.
Whether you prefer the novel, the miniseries, or the more recent theatrical adaptation best there is one aspect of the miniseries that is transcendent. Tim Curry’s performance as Pennywise. It is an iconic performance as memorable as Robert Englund as Freddy Kreuger in A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984) or Linda Blair as Regan MacNeil in THE EXORCIST (1971). Every time he is on the screen you must either close your eyes or you cannot look away. He portrays Pennywise as a clown you may encounter at the circus or a children's party with a realistic costume and makeup. It’s not something that looks out of this world or monstrous at first which to me always felt scarier. His performance is beyond the makeup and red hair but in the eyes. Anytime the camera focuses on his eyes it is still so damn creepy. When he does start to turn into a child-eating monster it’s done perfectly. It may sound a little cliché, but it’s the stuff nightmares are made of. It’s somewhat of a shame his performance is restrained due to it being on television. We know Tim Curry early in his career was capable of giving iconic performances because of the cult classic THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975). It would be fascinating to see what Tim Curry could have done with no restrictions to his performance. He does a lot with very little time and restraints and yet he is still outstanding.
As great as Curry’s performance is, is “It” the scariest character in the story? That’s another part of the miniseries that from an adult’s view may be seen differently. As a child, we may be most drawn to the clown, but the real villains are the humans. The people of Derry do nothing but ignore the town’s deadly secrets. The bully Henry Bowers, Beverly Marsh’s father Alvin, and later her abusive boyfriend Tom Rogan are all just as chilling and disturbing as a killer clown because we know as adult viewers those people exist. The miniseries still captures the monstrosity of some human beings pretty well. Monsters are real, which may be the scariest element of the story.
It (1990) is not perfect, and it’s debatable if it’s one of the best adaptations of Stephen King’s works. It’s still amazing that the filmmakers adapted the story for television considering the length of the novel which is over 1,000 pages and the explicit violence and sex. Despite those limitations, the miniseries still gave a generation of children (probably some adults too) nightmares and created coulrophobia for some which is the phobia of clowns. The campiness and choppy editing due to the commercial breaks seems like flaws when seen now streaming, but the miniseries still has a charm of nostalgia, especially for those who grew up watching horror in the ‘90s.
It (1990) is currently streaming on HBOMax.
