When Pennywise isn’t directly terrorizing the Losers’ Club, he’s actually hiding in the background of several scenes in IT Chapter One. The iconic clown villain makes obvious background appearances at times, such as when he appears in televisions sets, but he’s much more difficult to spot in plenty of other scenes, too.
Based on Stephen King’s 1986 novel, IT Chapter One follows the experiences of Derry, Maine, adolescents as they investigate a mysterious being known as IT, aka Pennywise the Clown. Considering that Pennywise is from King’s Macroverse - a void of some sort that exists around the universe and has reappeared in other King novels - and contains a variety of powers, such as the ability to shapeshift, he’s depicted as a foe that’s difficult to defeat. But he primarily deals in fear, even when he’s not actively attacking children and adults.
Along with shapeshifting and feeding off the terror of people in Derry, Pennywise can easily immerse himself into objects and backgrounds, as seen throughout IT Chapter One, such as when he appears in the photos on the projector. But while Pennywise may make himself known to the Losers’ Club, there are a few instances in which he simply hid in the background.
During Ben Hanscom’s Library Research
At IT Chapter One’s 25-minute mark, Ben reads his romantic (and anonymous postcard) for Beverly Marsh. He spots his friends outside, and the librarian suggests that he should be spending summer vacation with friends rather than with books. Ben begins paging through A History of Old Derry and notices a black-and-white photo that includes a clown. Not long after, Pennywise takes on the librarian’s form. At first, he appears in the background and stares at Ben, who reads about an Easter explosion that killed 88 children. But in a group photo of the victims prior to their deaths, Pennywise also appears in the top left side of the image.
A few seconds later, Pennywise is now closer to Ben, and with a visible smile. The Losers’ Club member then looks at photos of a Derry Iron Works explosion, and spots a boy’s severed head lodged in the trees. Once again, Pennywise is seen smiling in the background, but as the female librarian. Later, when Ben is attacked by Henry Bowers, he notices a red balloon in the back of a passing vehicle, just moments after calling out for help.
When The Losers’ Club Treats Ben’s Cuts
About 40 minutes into IT Chapter One, when the Losers’ Club tries to help Ben after he was cut by Henry Bowers, Pennywise appears in the background, right behind Ben. Just as Stanley Uris bends over to take a look at Ben’s injuries, Pennywise shows up in the wall graffiti, smiling.
At The Independence Day Parade
After a confrontation with Henry, the Losers’ Club attends a Derry Independence Day parade at approximately the 68-minute mark in IT Chapter One. When all the Losers are talking about Pennywise and what he really is, Richie turns to the stage and sees a tall clown - a disguised Pennywise - staring right back at him.
At The Abandoned House
After 75 minutes into IT Chapter One, the Losers’ Club decides to investigate an abandoned house. While perusing through the house, Richie gets trapped in a room filled with clowns - who were previously revealed to be his worst fear - at which point Pennywise can be seen as a clown bearing an exact resemblance to Tim Curry’s Pennywise from the 1990 miniseries IT. Moments later in IT Chapter One, Richie discovers a doll of himself in a casket, and then Pennywise leaps into the air and provides an up-close-and-personal look at his menacing clown form.
Next: IT: The Haunted House On Neibolt Street Explained
- IT Chapter Two Release Date: 2019-09-06
