Conceived by Stephen King (yep, the same Stephen King as always) back in 1986, It has had a long history in horror. Putting a group of children, and later, that same group in adult form, against a creepy shape-shifting clown was always a recipe for scares and tension.
We’re ranking the ten scariest moments in the It franchise. However, we aren’t being limited to the book, TV series, or recent two-part film franchise. Instead, we’re opening up the floor to scenes from It in any of its forms.
Georgie’s Death (TV Series)
The portrayal of Georgie’s death right at the beginning of It is scary in every single version. The book describes it all in aggressive detail, while the films use the gory, cartoonish Pennywise to combine horror and comedy. The TV series, however, is what first visualized such a horrifying moment.
The genuinely creepy, weirdly realistic clown of the 1990 two-part miniseries. That horrible head caked in makeup drawing the innocent young boy only for that to happen is a tough watch.
The ‘Sex’ Scene (Book)
Without a doubt, the most horrifying scene in any of the versions of It (and possibly any Stephen King book, really) is the ‘sex’ scene from the book. Reading the graphic depiction of the Losers Club having to have group sex with Beverly in order to bring them closer together as a group is a very strange experience that no one really needed. As you might expect, this was felt rather unnecessary to include in either the miniseries or the film.
Georgie’s Return (Chapter 2)
There is always a small part of you who wonders whether a character you know has been killed is truly dead. With Georgie, we never actually saw it happen, so the underlying feeling is there. In It: Chapter 2, we see Georgie from a distance, but something isn’t quite right.
The incredible tension of finding out whether this is Georgie, very much alive, or a manifestation of Pennywise, is rather horrifying, and the water-based action that follows only adds to the terror.
The Spider (Chapter 1)
As everyone knows, the only real problem with Stephen King's novels are his endings. They always seem like simple, terrifying stories, and then the endings jump into strange multi-verse, fantastical worlds that all seem a little too on the nose. It is no different, with It: Chapter One showing us various inconceivable things Pennywise can do, including putting Stan’s head onto the body of a spider. It’s weird, but it somehow ends up being one of the scariest moments of the film.
The Hall Of Mirrors (Chapter 2)
In terms of sheer jump scare anticipating tension, the most horrifying moment of It: Chapter Two (which, let’s be honest, is basically a comedy film) comes in the Carnaval, where Bill finds himself in a hall of mirrors at the same time as Pennywise. Not only do we see about twenty creepy Pennywise faces reflected all around (we have no idea which is the real one), but we have to watch as Dean is devoured in front of our very eyes.
The Homophobic Attack (Chapter 2)
If it’s graphic realism you’re looking for, then It: Chapter Two has you covered in that regard also. The opening scene is just so shocking in its portrayal of homophobia that it ends up becoming far harder to watch than any of the horror elements.
Seeing a gang beat up Adrian so brutally and throwing him into the river seems so real and so disconnected from the fantasy of the rest of the story that it really does make an impact. Just after that, we see Pennywise’s balloons and the clown himself waiting on the other side of the riverbank, just in case you needed the scene to be any more disturbing.
Beverly’s Ordeal (Book)
Beverly was already having a tough life, so the introduction of a homicidal, shape-shifting clown hell-bent on killing her was a pretty rough next step. One of the worst parts of her experience had to be when she arrived home, to find an old lady awaiting her. The two speak, with King masterfully describing the slow change of the woman into a witch, and then a visualization of her abusive father. She ends up becoming Pennywise, completing the most gripping yet horrifying moment in the entire book.
The Slideshow (Chapter 1)
Arguably the most well-remembered jump scare from It: Chapter One was Pennywise’s introduction. The book and TV series show the clown in the background of various old photos before he jumps out of one, but the film goes down a slightly different route.
A slideshow of photos is spinning away, with each one slowly morphing into Pennywise. Scary enough, right? When his horrifying grin emerges and he actually appears right there in the room, it’s enough to send anyone out of the room screaming.
The Doors (Chapter 1)
Arguably the only thing more ominously terrifying depicted in the film comes when the Losers Club is faced with a choice of three doors. The scene is scary enough as it is, with the group stuck in a dark, dilapidated house with no escape, but the three doors in front of them add another layer of terror. Faced with a choice between ‘not scary at all’, ‘scary’ and ‘very scary’ which would you choose? Is it reverse psychology? Are they all actually accurate and built on reverse psychology? Do they all lead to the same place?
The Graveyard (TV Series)
Despite being the least known of the It adaptations, it is a very specific moment from the It miniseries that comes out on top in our list. Maybe it’s a combination of the lower filming quality and the uncanny realism of Tim Curry’s Pennywise, but that scene in the graveyard is absolutely haunting.
His red afro poking out the top of the grave while he digs, him bursting out of the grave with a wide smile, and his gleeful mocking of Billy all combine to create a truly spine-tingling scene.