Stephen King says the It films were so successful because of the 90s miniseries that starred Tim Curry as Pennywise. It and It Chapter Two were released in 2017 and 2019, respectively, and were massive box office successes. Starring Finn Wolfhard, Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, and Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the Clown, 2017's It was a runaway success. The second film saw the children reprise their roles opposite some huge names that played the adult versions of their characters. Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, and Isaiah Mustafa all joined for the sequel, which found similar success.

Before the films, though, ABC released a two part miniseries in 1990. Tim Curry, of Rocky Horror Picture Show fame, played Pennywise the Clown. The miniseries itself was a gamble for ABC - it was risky for large networks like ABC to tackle the horror genre, which was on the rise and still controversial at the time. While initial critical response was divided, the miniseries has been reevaluated in recent years. The miniseries also found new life upon its home video release.

Related: Stephen King's IT: Everyone Who Died In Chapter 1 & 2

Ahead of the release of the latest King adaptation of The Stand for CBS All Access, the author touched on his iconic works and their respective adaptations in an article with the NYT. King, who is known to be vocal about his opinion on adaptations of his work, praised the It miniseries, highlighting Curry's performance. He also says that he believes the miniseries' impact on children directly led to the success of the more recent films. King believes the movies wouldn't have been so successful if the miniseries wasn't so effective in scaring the children who watched it:

"I liked that series a lot, and I thought Tim Curry made a great Pennywise. It scared the [expletive] out of a lot of kids at that time. One of the reasons the movie was a big hit was because kids remembered seeing it on TV. So they went to see it."

Pennywise grabs Beverly in It chapter 1

King is almost certainly right. Curry's version of Pennywise is terrifying. While Skarsgård's version is just as scary, with CGI effects taking it to a whole new level, there's something about the simplicity of Curry's version that is utterly chilling.The lack of bells and whistles adds a touch of realism that makes Curry's stellar performance all the more disturbing, even if the actor himself was unhappy with the series' ending.

The massive success of the It adaptations is a testament both to King's power as a horror author and his ability to write complex and terrifying villains. While not all King adaptations are hits, a lot of them become blockbusters. It and It Chapter Two certainly spurred a revival of King adaptations, with more in the works than almost ever before. The author's output, combined with Hollywood's desire to adapt just about everything, makes for a great pair. We're just lucky enough that these adaptations turned out as good as they did.

More: Who Is The Better Pennywise: Tim Curry Or Bill Skarsgard?

Source: New York Times