Pennywise: The Story of It is a 2021 John Campopiano and Chris Griffith documentary streaming on Screambox that reflects on the adaptation of Stephen King’s It. The film takes the viewer on an immersive journey, from concept to production, leaving nothing to the imagination. It spreads information, leaving viewers with a complete understanding of what makes “IT” and Pennywise groundbreaking.

The Concept

The documentary is a two-hour and six-minute exposition broken into various chapters covering the narrative, the script, the monster, the locale, and the characters. The film begins with the seedlings of an idea that would take root and eventually manifest into a full-blown series for the enjoyment of others.

In the first minute’s footage of the film, the master of macabre, Stephen King, stands before the camera, ready to enlighten a waiting audience. He addresses the question that is frequently asked of him: Where do you get your ideas from? From what seed did the novel It grow? How did the idea germinate, and through what process did it develop? And King does not pacify his muse or choose to hide behind a shadow of mystery.

Instead, Stephen King responds in earnest. His inspiration was childhood stories that gave rise to fevered dreams and nightmarish imaginings. A story much like the three Billy Goat’s Gruff where the boogeyman lies in wait. This idea would pervade King’s dreams and later a story. As King pleasantly admits, that story came from one moment of fear. And that fear would blossom into a massive horror story taking over five years to express in writing. As Stephen King so eloquently puts it, “a moment of fear is worthy of having if you can make something good of it.”

Pennywise – The Horror Icon

Even more important than the concept itself was the monster that would emerge from King’s imagination. While Pennywise is by his mere façade a terrifying clown, he is so much more and the documentary seeks to describe the complex being and its origins. King’s handiwork transformed a venerable caricature of the time into something to be feared and despised. He amplified the underlying mystique making clowns so embraceable and yet hideous. King elevated his model and the concept by adding layers, only serving to intensify the levels of fear.

Pennywise was no ordinary clown. He is not driven to entertain for entertainment’s sake. Instead, he has appetites ghastlier than any could imagine. Artfully and most unbelievably, King took a beloved childhood caricature and transformed it into the biggest generational icon of horror. Pennywise was a creature tied to its consumption, only satiated by the delight of children overtaken by their fears.