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''It'' is a 1986
horror novel Horror is a genre of speculative fiction that is intended to disturb, frighten, or scare an audience. Horror is often divided into the sub-genres of psychological horror and supernatural horror. Literary historian J. A. Cuddon, in 1984, defi ...
by American author
Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...
. ''It'' was King's 22nd book and the 17th novel written under his own name. The story follows the experiences of seven children terrorized by It (otherwise known as Pennywise), an evil entity that exploits the fears of its victims to disguise itself while hunting its prey.


Background

In 1978, King and his family lived in
Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city in Boulder County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most ...
. One evening, King ventured alone to pick up his car from the repair shop and came across an old wooden bridge, "humped and oddly quaint". Walking along the bridge caused King to recall the story of "
Three Billy Goats Gruff "The Three Billy Goats Gruff" () is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in their '' Norske Folkeeventyr'', first published between 1841 and 1844. It has an Aarne-Thompson type of 122E. The first versi ...
", and the idea of transplanting the tale's scenario into a real-life context interested him. King was further inspired by a line by
Marianne Moore Marianne Craig Moore (November 15, 1887 – February 5, 1972) was an American Modernism, modernist poet, critic, translator, and editor. Her poetry is noted for its formal innovation, precise diction, irony, and wit. In 1968 Nobel Prize in Li ...
—“imaginary gardens with real toads in them"—which in his mind came out as "real trolls in imaginary gardens." King would return to the concept two years later and gradually accumulated ideas and thoughts, particularly the concept of weaving the narratives of children and the adults they become. King began writing ''It'' in 1980, and finished the book five years later. King found influence in the mythology and history surrounding the construction of the sewer system in
Bangor, Maine Bangor ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's List of municipalities in Maine, third-most populous city, behind Portland, Maine, Portland ...
.


Plot

The novel is told through narratives alternating between two time periods, and largely in the third-person omniscient mode.


1957–1958

During a rainstorm in
Derry, Maine Derry is a fictional town in the U.S. state of Maine that has served as the setting for a number of Stephen King's novels, novellas, and short stories, notably '' It''. Derry first appeared in King's 1981 short story "The Bird and the Album" an ...
, a six-year-old boy named Georgie Denbrough sails a paper boat along the rainy streets before it washes down into a storm drain. Looking in the drain, Georgie encounters a clown who introduces himself as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Georgie, despite knowing he should not talk to strangers, is enticed by Pennywise to reach into the drain and retrieve his boat. It then rips his arm off, and Georgie dies. The following June, an overweight eleven-year-old boy named Ben Hanscom is harassed by a bully named Henry Bowers and his gang on the last day of school, escaping into the marshy wasteland known as the Barrens. There, Ben befriends an asthmatic hypochondriac named Eddie Kaspbrak and "Stuttering Bill" Denbrough, Georgie's elder brother. The three boys later befriend fellow misfits
Richie Tozier Richard "Richie" Tozier is a fictional character created by Stephen King and one of the main characters of his 1986 novel '' It''. He was portrayed by Seth Green as a child and Harry Anderson as an adult in the 1990 miniseries adaptation of the ...
, Stanley "Stan" Uris, and Beverly Marsh, and refer to themselves as "The Losers Club". As the summer draws on, the Losers each encounter Pennywise in terrifying manifestations: a
mummy A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and Organ (biology), organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to Chemical substance, chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the ...
on a frozen canal to Ben, a fountain of blood (that only children can see) from Beverly's sink, a rotting
leper Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria '' Mycobacterium leprae'' or '' Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve da ...
to Eddie, drowned corpses to Stan, and a frightening phantom of Georgie to Bill. Meanwhile, an increasingly unhinged and sadistic Bowers begins focusing his attention on his
African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
neighbor, Mike Hanlon and his father. Bowers kills Mike's dog and chases the terrified boy into the Barrens, where he joins the Losers in driving Bowers' gang off in a rock fight, leaving a humiliated Bowers promising revenge. Mike becomes a member of the Losers Club after revealing his own encounter with Pennywise in the form of a carnivorous bird. From Mike's historical scrapbook, the Losers realize that "It" is an ancient monster with a hold on the town. Following further encounters, the Losers construct a makeshift
smoke hole A smoke hole (smokehole, smoke-hole) is a hole in a roof for the smoke from a fire to vent. Before the invention of the smoke hood or chimney, many dwellings had smoke holes to allow the smoke from the hearth to escape. Pre-modern English homes ...
that Richie and Mike use to hallucinate its origins as an ancient alien that came to Earth, beginning a cycle of hunting for one year followed by a 27-year-long hibernation. Eddie is hospitalized by Bowers and several of his friends, and Beverly witnesses one of the bullies, Patrick Hockstetter, consumed by It in the form of a mass of flying leeches. The Losers discover a message from It in Patrick's blood, warning them that It will kill them if they interfere. In the hope that silver can wound It, Ben makes two silver slugs out of a silver dollar, and the Losers enter an abandoned house where Eddie, Bill, and Richie had previously encountered It to attempt to kill It. They manage to wound It with the silver while It is in the form of a
werewolf In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (from Ancient Greek ), is an individual who can shapeshifting, shapeshift into a wolf, or especially in modern film, a Shapeshifting, therianthropic Hybrid beasts in folklore, hybrid wol ...
. Deeming the Losers a threat, It manipulates Bowers into murdering his abusive father, then chasing the Losers into the sewers to kill them, where his accompanying fellow bullies, Victor "Vic" Criss and Reginald "Belch" Huggins, are both killed by It. Bowers himself is lost in the sewers. In the sewers, Bill performs the "Ritual of Chüd" in an attempt to face It in the Macroverse, the alternate universe where It is from. There he meets the monster's antithesis, Maturin, an ancient turtle that created the universe. Bill learns that It can only be defeated during a battle of wills, in which he emerges victorious; in doing so, he sees It's true form, and its place of origin, the "Deadlights". After the battle, not knowing if they killed It or not, the Losers get lost in the sewers. To try and regain a sense of direction, Beverly has
sexual intercourse Sexual intercourse (also coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion of the Erection, erect male Human penis, penis inside the female vagina and followed by Pelvic thrust, thrusting motions for sexual pleasure ...
with each of the boys to bring unity back to the group. Once they are safely out, the Losers swear a blood oath to return to Derry should the threat resurface. Bowers, having lost his sanity by the time he escaped the sewers into a nearby river, is institutionalized after being blamed for the town's child murders.


1984–1985

In July 1984, three youths brutally attack a young gay man named Adrian Mellon and throw him off a bridge, where Adrian's partner and one of the attackers both see a mysterious clown. Adrian is found dead and mutilated, and the teens are arrested and charged with his murder. When a string of violent child killings begins in Derry again, Mike Hanlon, who is now the town's librarian, calls up the six former members of the Losers Club to remind them of their childhood promise to return if the killings start again. Bill is now a successful horror writer living with his actress wife, Audra; Beverly is a fashion designer, married to an abusive man named Tom Rogan; Eddie runs a limousine rental company and has married a codependent woman similar to his hypochondriac mother; Richie Tozier is a disc jockey; Ben Hanscom has lost weight and is a successful, but single and lonely architect; and Stan Uris is a wealthy accountant. Prior to Mike's phone calls, all of the Losers had completely forgotten each other and the trauma of their childhood, burying the horror of their encounters with It. All of the Losers agree to return to Derry, except for Stan, who kills himself in terror of facing It again. The Losers meet for lunch, where Mike reminds them that the creature awakens roughly every 27 years for 12–16 months at a time, feeding on children before going into slumber again. The group decides to kill It once and for all. At Mike's suggestion, each person explores different parts of Derry to help restore their memories. While exploring, Eddie, Richie, Beverly, and Ben are faced with manifestations of It (Eddie as Belch Huggins and childhood friends in leprous and zombified forms, Richie as a
Paul Bunyan Paul Bunyan is a giant lumberjack and folk hero in American and Canadian folklore. His tall tales revolve around his superhuman labors, and he is customarily accompanied by Babe the Blue Ox, his pet and working animal. The character originate ...
statue, Beverly as the witch from
Hansel & Gretel "Hansel and Gretel" (; ) is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 as part of ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15). Hansel and Gretel are siblings who are abandoned in a forest and fall into the hands of a witch ...
in her childhood home, and Ben as
Dracula ''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...
in the Derry Library). Bill finds his childhood bicycle, "Silver", and brings it to Mike's. In the meantime, Audra, who is worried about Bill, travels to Derry; Beverley's husband arrives as well, intending to kill Beverly, who has finally vanquished his power over her; and Henry Bowers escapes from the mental asylum with help from It. Henry confronts Mike at the library, but Mike escapes, seriously injured. It instructs Henry to kill the rest of the Losers, but Henry is killed while attacking Eddie. It then appears to Tom and orders him to capture Audra, bringing Audra to Its lair, where Audra becomes
catatonic Catatonia is a complex syndrome most commonly seen in people with underlying mood disorders, such as major depressive disorder, or psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia. People with catatonia exhibit abnormal movement and behaviors, wh ...
, and Tom, seeing It in its true form, collapses with shock. Bill, Ben, Beverly, Richie, and Eddie learn that Mike is near death and realize they are being forced into another confrontation with It. They descend into the sewers and use their strength as a group to "send energy" to a hospitalized Mike, who fights off a nurse that is under the control of It. They reach It's lair and find that It has taken the form of a giant spider. Bill and Richie enter Its mind through the Ritual of Chüd, but they get lost in It. Eddie injures It by spraying his asthma medication down Its throat, but It bites off Eddie's arm, killing him. It runs away to tend to its injuries, but Bill, Richie, and Ben chase after and find that It has laid eggs. Ben stays behind to destroy the eggs, while Bill and Richie head toward their final confrontation with It. Bill fights his way inside Its body, locates Its heart, and destroys it. The group meets up to head out of Its lair, and although they try to bring Audra and Eddie's bodies with them, they are forced to leave Eddie behind. They realize that the scars on their hands from their blood pact have disappeared, indicating that their ordeal is finally over. At the same time, the worst storm in Maine's history sweeps through Derry, and the downtown area collapses. Mike concludes that Derry is dying. The Losers return home and gradually begin to forget about It, Derry, and each other all over again. Mike's memory of the events of that summer also begins to fade, as well as any of the records he had written down previously, much to his relief, and he considers starting a new life elsewhere. Ben and Beverly leave together and become a couple, and Richie returns to California. Bill is the last to leave Derry. Before he goes, he takes Audra, still catatonic, for a ride on Silver, which awakens her from her catatonia, and they share a kiss.


Themes

''It'' thematically focuses on the loss of childhood innocence and questions the difference between necessity and free will. Grady Hendrix of Tor.com described the book as being "about the fact that some doors only open one way, and that while there's an exit out of childhood named sex, there’s no door leading the other way that turns adults back into children". Christopher Lehman-Haupt of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' noted that ''It'' "concerns the evil that has haunted America from time to time in the forms of crime, racial and religious bigotry, economic hardship, labor strife and industrial pollution", and that the novel's setting "is a museum filled with the popular culture of the 1950s: brand names, rock 'n' roll songs and stars, the jokes and routines of childhood in that era". James Smythe of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' opined that "Pennywise isn't the novel's biggest terror. The most prominent notions of fear in the novel come from the Losers Club themselves: their home lives, the things that have made them pariahs."


Release

On December 13, 2011, Cemetery Dance published a special limited edition of ''It'' for the 25th anniversary of the novel () in three editions: an unsigned limited gift edition of 2,750, a signed limited edition of 750, and a signed and lettered limited edition of 52. All three editions are oversized hardcovers, housed in a slipcase or traycase, and feature premium binding materials. This anniversary edition features a new dust jacket illustration by
Glen Orbik Glen Orbik (1963 – May 11, 2015) was an American illustrator known for his fully painted paperback and comic covers, often executed in a noir style. Early life and education In the 1970s, Orbik and his mother moved to Douglas County, Nevada. H ...
, as well as numerous interior illustrations by
Alan M. Clark Alan Marshall Clark (born May 10, 1957) is an American author and artist who is best known as the illustrator and book cover painter of many pieces of horror fiction. He was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel for his 2005 ...
and Erin Wells. The book also contains a new afterword by Stephen King discussing his reasons for writing the novel.


Reception and legacy

The novel won the
British Fantasy Award The British Fantasy Awards (BFA) are awarded annually by the British Fantasy Society (BFS), first in 1976. Prior to that they were known as The August Derleth Fantasy Awards (see August Derleth Award). First awarded in 1972 (to ''The Knight of ...
in 1987, and received nominations for the ''Locus'' and
World Fantasy Awards The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year at the eponymous ann ...
that same year. ''
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
'' listed It as the best-selling hardcover fiction book in the United States in 1986. It has been adapted into a 1990 two-part miniseries directed by
Tommy Lee Wallace Thomas Lee Wallace (born September 6, 1949) is an American film director and screenwriter. He is best known for his work in the horror genre, directing films such as '' Halloween III: Season of the Witch'' and '' Fright Night Part 2'' and also dir ...
and a film duology directed by
Andy Muschietti Andrés Walter Muschietti (; born 26 August 1973) is an Argentine film director and screenwriter who had his breakthrough with the 2013 film ''Mama (2013 film), Mama''. He gained further recognition for directing both films in the It (novel), '' ...
. Muschietti's It was released in September 2017 and ''
It Chapter Two ''It Chapter Two'' is a 2019 American supernatural horror film directed by Andy Muschietti from a screenplay by Gary Dauberman. It is the sequel to '' It'' (2017) and the second of a two-part adaptation of the 1986 novel '' It'' by Stephen Ki ...
'' was released in September 2019. Modern reviews of the novel were more mixed, with critics divided on a number of issues, including the book's length, the way in which women characters are "demonized", and the sex scene involving children. ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' praised the author's ability to create atmosphere, but perceived a lack of motivation in Stanley Uris' death and the reunion of the group. '' Reactor'' described the book as "by turns boring and shocking" and "one of King's most frustrating and perplexing books", and criticized the portrayal of the child characters as "a little too perfect". ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
,'' revisiting the book after 30 years, described the novel as "...incredible: a structural marvel", while expressing concern over the descriptions of childhood sexuality, especially the scene "involving the young Losers' Club taking part in what amounts to an orgy", although" Grady Hendrix in ''Reactor'' identified this moment as "in a sense, the heart of the book" and a thematic demonstration of the crossing from childhood to adulthood. The character Pennywise has been named by several outlets as one of the scariest clowns in film or pop culture. In 2003, ''It'' was listed at number 144 on the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
's
The Big Read The Big Read was a survey on books that was carried out by the BBC in the United Kingdom in 2003, when over three-quarters of a million votes were received from the British public to find the nation's best-loved novel. The year-long survey was th ...
poll—one of three King novels on the list.


Adaptations

In 1990, the novel was adapted into a
television miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...
starring
Tim Curry Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946) is an English actor and singer. He rose to prominence as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the musical film '' The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London, 1974 L ...
as Pennywise the Clown/It,
John Ritter Johnathan Southworth Ritter (September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003) was an American comedian and actor. He was a son of the singing cowboy star Tex Ritter and the father of actors Jason Ritter, Jason and Tyler Ritter. He is best known for ...
as Ben Hanscom,
Harry Anderson Harry Laverne Anderson (October 14, 1952 – April 16, 2018) was an American actor, comedian and magician. He is best known for his role as Judge Harry Stone on the NBC sitcom ''Night Court'' (1984–1992). He later played Dave Barry on the C ...
as Richie Tozier,
Richard Masur Richard Masur (born November 20, 1948) is an American character actor who has appeared in more than 40 films. From 1995 to 1999, he served two terms as president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). He is best known for playing David Kane on '' One ...
as Stan Uris,
Tim Reid Timothy Lee Reid Sr. (born December 19, 1944) is an American actor, comedian and film director best known for his roles in prime time American television programs, such as Venus Flytrap on ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' (1978–82), Marcel "Downtown" Br ...
as Mike Hanlon,
Annette O'Toole Annette O'Toole (born Annette Toole; April 1, 1952) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She has received nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. She is known for portraying Lisa Bridges in t ...
as Beverly Marsh,
Richard Thomas Richard Thomas or Dick Thomas may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Dick Thomas (singer) (1915–2003), American singing cowboy and actor * Richard Thomas (actor) (born 1951), American actor * Richard Thomas (author) (born 1967), America ...
as Bill Denbrough,
Olivia Hussey Olivia Hussey (; 17 April 1951 – 27 December 2024) was a British actress. Her awards included a Golden Globe Award and a David di Donatello Award. The daughter of Argentine tango singer Osvaldo Ribó, Hussey was born in Buenos Aires but spen ...
as Audra Phillips,
Dennis Christopher Dennis Christopher Carrelli (born December 2, 1950) is a retired American actor whose film credits include '' Breaking Away'' (1979), '' Fade to Black'' (1980), ''Chariots of Fire'' (1981), '' It'' (1990), and '' Django Unchained'' (2012). Ear ...
as Eddie Kaspbrak, and Michael Cole as Henry Bowers. The younger versions of the characters were played by Brandon Crane (Ben),
Seth Green Seth Benjamin Green ( ''né'' Gesshel-Green; born February 8, 1974) is an American actor. His film debut was '' The Hotel New Hampshire'' (1984), and he went on to have supporting roles in comedy films in the 1980s, including '' Radio Days'' ( ...
(Richie), Ben Heller (Stan), Marlon Taylor (Mike),
Emily Perkins Emily Jean Perkins (born May 4, 1977) is a Canadian actress, known for her roles as Crystal Braywood in the TV series ''Hiccups'', young Beverly Marsh in '' Stephen King's It'', and Brigitte Fitzgerald in '' Ginger Snaps''. Since the late 1980s ...
(Beverly),
Jonathan Brandis Jonathan Gregory Brandis (April 13, 1976 – November 12, 2003) was an American actor. Beginning his career as a child model, Brandis moved on to acting in commercials and subsequently won television and film roles. Brandis made his acting debut ...
(Bill), Adam Faraizl (Eddie), and Jarred Blancard (Henry). The miniseries was directed by
Tommy Lee Wallace Thomas Lee Wallace (born September 6, 1949) is an American film director and screenwriter. He is best known for his work in the horror genre, directing films such as '' Halloween III: Season of the Witch'' and '' Fright Night Part 2'' and also dir ...
and scripted by Wallace and Lawrence D. Cohen. In 1998, the novel was adapted into a
television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...
set in India, starring
Lilliput Lilliput is an island nation in Jonathan Swift's novel ''Gulliver's Travels''. Lilliput may also refer to: Geography * Lilliput (townland), a townland in County Westmeath, Ireland * Lilliput, Dorset, a district in the town of Poole in Dorset, ...
as Pennywise the Clown/Vikram/Woh/It, and
Ashutosh Gowarikar Ashutosh Gowariker (born 15 February 1964) is an Indian film director, actor, screenwriter and producer who works in Indian Hindi cinema. He is known for directing films "set on a huge canvas while boasting of an opulent treatment". He is best ...
(Ashutosh),
Mamik Singh Harmeet Singh Mamik popularly known as Mamik is an Indian actor, who works on television and has also worked in a few Hindi-language films. He is best known for his roles in films like '' Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar'' (1992), ''Kya Kehna'' (2000), an ...
(Rahul), Anupam Bhattacharya (Sanjeev),
Shreyas Talpade Shreyas Talpade (born 27 January 1976) is an Indian actor, film director and producer who appears in Hindi and Marathi films. He has appeared in several critically and commercially successful films. He is better known for his role as Shah Rukh ...
(Young Ashutosh), Parzan Dastur (Young Siddhart), Manoj Joshi (Amit), and
Daya Shankar Pandey Daya Shankar Pandey (born 19 November 1965) is an Indian film and television actor. He has acted in a number of Hindi movies like '' Lagaan'' (2001), '' Gangaajal'' (2003), '' Swades'' (2004) and ''Raajneeti'' (2010). He began his career with t ...
(Chandu), the series' equivalent of the Losers Club. The series was directed and written by Glen Baretto and Ankush Mohla. The first of a two-part feature film adaptation, '' It'', was released on September 8, 2017. It is directed by
Andy Muschietti Andrés Walter Muschietti (; born 26 August 1973) is an Argentine film director and screenwriter who had his breakthrough with the 2013 film ''Mama (2013 film), Mama''. He gained further recognition for directing both films in the It (novel), '' ...
, with a screenplay by Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga and
Gary Dauberman Gary Dauberman is an American screenwriter and director. He is best known for writing The Conjuring Universe horror films ''Annabelle (film), Annabelle'' (2014), ''Annabelle: Creation'' (2017), ''The Nun (2018 film), The Nun'' (2018), and ''Annab ...
. Instead of a dual narrative, the first film is solely an adaptation of the section that features the characters as children, though the setting has been updated to the late 1980s. It stars
Bill Skarsgård Bill Istvan Günther Skarsgård (; born 9 August 1990) is a Swedish actor. He is known for portraying Pennywise in the horror films '' It'' (2017) and ''It Chapter Two'' (2019). Other horror appearances were in the series '' Hemlock Grove'' (2 ...
as Pennywise and
Jaeden Martell Jaeden Martell ( né Lieberher; born January 4, 2003) is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor, with roles in the comedy drama '' St. Vincent'' (2014) and science fiction film '' Midnight Special'' (2016). His performance in ''S ...
as Bill Denbrough. Supporting roles are played by
Finn Wolfhard Finn Michael Wolfhard (born December 23, 2002) is a Canadian actor, musician, and film director. He is known for playing Mike Wheeler on the Netflix series ''Stranger Things'' (2016–present). He also played Richie Tozier in the horror film ...
as Richie Tozier,
Sophia Lillis Sophia Lillis (born February 13, 2002) is an American actress. She starred as Beverly Marsh in the horror films '' It'' (2017) and '' It: Chapter Two'' (2019), as well as a teenager with telekinesis in the Netflix drama series '' I Am Not Okay ...
as Beverly Marsh,
Jack Dylan Grazer Jack Dylan Grazer (born September 3, 2003) is an American actor. His accolades include an MTV Movie & TV Award, in addition to a nomination for an Annie Award. Grazer started his career in 2015 and gained recognition for his role as Eddie K ...
as Eddie Kaspbrak, Wyatt Oleff as Stanley Uris,
Chosen Jacobs Chosen Jacobs is an American actor, singer, songwriter, musician and rapper best known for his recurring role as Will Grover on the CBS television series '' Hawaii Five-0'' and his role as Mike Hanlon in the 2017 film adaptation of the Stephen ...
as Mike Hanlon, Jeremy Ray Taylor as Ben Hanscom,
Owen Teague Owen William Teague is an American actor. He has played roles in '' Mrs. Fletcher'' (2019), '' Inherit the Viper'' (2019), '' The Stand'' (2020–2021), '' Montana Story'' (2021), '' To Leslie'' (2022), '' Gone in the Night'' (2022), ''Bloodline ...
as Patrick Hockstetter,
Nicholas Hamilton Nicholas William Hamilton (born 4 May 2000) is an Australian actor and musician. He is best known for portraying Rellian in '' Captain Fantastic'' (2016), Henry Bowers in '' It Chapter One'' (2017) and '' Chapter Two'' (2019), and superhero Mav ...
as Henry Bowers, Logan Thompson as Vic Criss and Jake Sim as Belch Huggins. The second film, ''
It Chapter Two ''It Chapter Two'' is a 2019 American supernatural horror film directed by Andy Muschietti from a screenplay by Gary Dauberman. It is the sequel to '' It'' (2017) and the second of a two-part adaptation of the 1986 novel '' It'' by Stephen Ki ...
'', adapted the "adult" section and updated the setting to the 2010s, specifically 2016. It starred
James McAvoy James McAvoy (; born 21 April 1979) is a Scottish actor and director. He made his acting debut as a teen in '' The Near Room'' (1995) and appeared mostly on television until 2003, when his film career began. His notable television work inclu ...
(Bill),
Bill Hader William Thomas Hader Jr.''Finding Your Roots'', January 26, 2016, PBS. (born June 7, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and director. He was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 20 ...
(Richie),
Jessica Chastain Jessica Michelle Chastain (born March 24, 1977) is an American actress and producer. Known for primarily starring in projects with Feminism, feminist themes, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Jessica Chastain, various ...
(Beverly),
James Ransone James Finley Ransone III (born June 2, 1979) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Ziggy Sobotka in the second season of the drama series ''The Wire'', US Marine Corps Cpl. Josh Ray Person in the war drama miniseries '' Generation K ...
(Eddie), Andy Bean (Stan),
Isaiah Mustafa Isaiah Amir Mustafa (born February 11, 1974) is an American actor and former American football wide receiver. Mustafa is widely known as the main character in a series of Old Spice television commercials, "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like". He ...
(Mike), and Jay Ryan (Ben). Skarsgård reprised the role of Pennywise and the younger actors returned as well. Principal photography wrapped in 2018, and it was released on September 6, 2019. On March 21, 2022, ''Variety'' reported that Muschietti, along with his sister Barbara Muschietti, and
Jason Fuchs Jason Isaac Fuchs (born March 5, 1986) is an American actor and screenwriter, best known for writing '' Ice Age: Continental Drift'' (2012), '' Pan'' (2015) and ''Wonder Woman'' (2017). He is also known for his role as Lawrence Grey on the Fox ...
, was developing and executive producing a prequel series for
HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...
, titled '' It: Welcome to Derry''. The show is said to take place in the 1960s, before the events of '' It: Chapter One'', and will reportedly include the origin story of Pennywise the Clown. Muschietti will direct the first episode, with Fuchs writing all of the episodes for the series.


References


External links

*
It
at Worlds Without End

at Illuminati Blog
A Chapter-By-Chapter Analysis
at It: An Annotated Look at Stephen King {{DEFAULTSORT:It (Novel) 1986 American novels 1980s horror novels Fiction set in 1958 Fiction set in 1985 American horror novels American novels adapted into films American novels adapted into television shows Domestic violence in fiction Fiction about fratricide Fiction about immortality Fiction about patricide Fiction about shapeshifting Homophobia in fiction Juvenile sexuality in books Nonlinear narrative novels Novels about bullying Novels about clowns Novels about friendship Novels about racism Novels about suicide Novels by Stephen King Novels set in the 1950s Novels set in the 1980s Novels set in Maine Books about trolls Novels about demons Viking Press books Warner Bros. Pictures franchises Works about child death Works about fear