Top 5 Scariest IT Shapeshifts

See which tuly terrifying figures make the list!

One of the most infamous horror villains of all time, Stephen King’s Pennywise the Dancing Clown has been terrifying audiences for decades. From Tim Curry’s early portrayal in the 1990 miniseries Stephen King’s IT, to Bill Skarsgård’s menacing embodiment in IT (2017) and IT Chapter Two (2019).

The clown that feeds on fear is a master at configuring himself into weird and horrifying characters, personalised to scare each of his victims. In celebration of the new series IT: Welcome to Derry, we’ve rounded up the top five scariest Pennywise shapeshifts.

5) Zombified Patrick Hockstetter

A part of Henry Bowers’ bullying posse, Patrick Hockstetter meets an unfortunate fate when lured into the sewers by Pennywise. 27 years later, Pennywise uses the form of a decaying, zombie-like Patrick to recruit adult Henry Bowers (who had been admitted into Derry’s Juniper Hill mental asylum, after Pennywise provoked him to kill his father as a teenager) to kill the Losers Club.

His jump scare entrance, hiding under one of the hospital beds and rapidly crawling out at Henry is undeniably freaky and one that gets us every time.

4) The Leper

Poor Eddie Kaspbrak has been haunted by the leper figure Pennywise adopts especially for him, from Eddie’s childhood to adult life. As a germaphobe, Pennywise cruelly captures Eddie’s worst nightmares perfectly as this leper oozes foul liquids and smells and taunts Eddie of getting him infected with diseases throughout the two films, not forgetting one scene where he heavily pukes on him in the pharmacy.

If it wasn’t for the fact that scene was set to the 1980s Juice Newton hit ‘Angel of the Morning’ in slow-motion, this figure would have easily been the scariest on the list.

3) Paul Bunyan

If you have a fear of statues, this may be the scariest on the list for you.

When Pennywise animates Derry’s famous landmark, the gigantic Paul Bunyan statue, to terrorise Richie Tozier, swinging around his peavey, it’s an unforgettably scary moment (not to mention the bats flying out of his jagged mouth) that will make us look twice at the next statue we see.

2) Headless Child

The burned, headless child figure mimics a victim of the 1908 Easter explosion at the Derry Iron Works. Pennywise uses this disturbing form to torment Ben Hanscom in the library, after Ben uncovers Derry’s dark history of child disappearances. A sinister presence is hinted at by a smiling librarian in the background, just before Pennywise lures Ben to the basement with Easter eggs.

From his position in the basement, Ben can see a child standing at the top of the stairs, visible only from the neckline down. It’s not until the figure begins descending that its horrifying truth is revealed: the child is headless. This shocking reveal is enough to terrify any audience, even before it starts to chase Ben.

1) Mrs Kersh

What you would assume is just a sweet, unsuspecting old lady transforms into something much more sinister when Beverly Marsh visits her old home in Derry, only to be welcomed by Mrs Kersh, one of Pennywise’s creepiest forms.

As Beverly starts searching her old apartment, signs that Mrs Kersh is actually Pennywise accumulate in the background, in particular her odd dancing and running in the hallway. It is only when Beverly figures out Mrs Kersh’s true identity that are we met with the monstrously distorted form, of a giant naked woman Pennywise uses to chase Beverly out of the apartment. A frightening twist we’ll never get out of our heads!

And that concludes our list! We wonder what truly terrifying forms Pennywise will create next in IT: Welcome to Derry.

IT: Welcome to Derry is available to rent or buy soon, get excited and watch Pennywise terrorise the Loser Club in IT, IT Chapter Two and Stephen King’s IT.