This character is so dastardly, hated and popular that this character was voted most hated character of: October 2022.
"Mature Content Warning!"
This article contains some content involving a mature subject or situation and may not be suitable for younger viewers. If you are 18 years or older or are comfortable with graphic material, you are free to view this page.
NOTE: This page is only for the novel version of It and not its live-action counterparts who have too many "Evil is Cool" factors. Thus, only information of its novel version should be put here.
“
Float? Oh yes, indeed they do. They float! And there's cotton candy... They float. They float, they float, Georgie, and when you're down here with me, you'll float too — everything down here floats.
„
~ It before killing Georgie Denbrough.
It, better known by its favorite form as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, is the titular main antagonist of Stephen King's 1986 horror novel It.
It is a shapeshifting entity that feeds off the fear of Derry's residents in order to satisfy Its hunger. It would later become the archenemy of Bill Denbrough and, to an extent, the Losers' Club as a whole, having killed his younger brother Georgie.
It is an ancient, vile monster hailing from the Macroverse who awakens every 30 years to feed on Derry's people, primarily focusing on children because their fears are easier to manifest physically, salting their flesh with fear and killing them in rather brutal ways.
It enjoys toying with Its victims, terrifying, tormenting, and harassing them before finally slaughtering them.
It killed a little boy named Georgie Denbrough by biting his arm off and leaving him to die.
It constantly harasses the Losers Club, taking sadistic delight in relishing Bill Denbrough's guilt over Georgie's death.
In the last moments of its life, it desperately bargains for its life, which shows it to be just a hollow bully who needs fear to keep itself going.
It displays arrogant narcissism, forming no alliances and caring for no one but Itself. Although it did scream in agony when Ben crushed its spider eggs, this was was only out of losing its means of an army rather than genuine care for its own spawn.
Although it is pretty comedic as Pennywise, they don't make its character better due to the vile nature of its heinous crimes.
Overall, it has no redeeming qualities whatsoever as a vile, sadistic bully who revels in killing children and is revealed to be a coward in the end upon being defeated, and stands out as one of the evilest and cowardly characters in the Stephen King mythos.
Trivia[]
The 1990 and 2017-19 film versions of It cannot qualify as Hate Sinks due to having too many Laughably Evil and Evil is Cool moments.
The Hindi adaptation of It, known as Woh, can't qualify as a Hate Sink either due to being genuinely tragic and ultimately redeeming himself in the end.
Despite being a Hate Sink, It is praised highly for its creepy nature, uncanny mannerisms, and the many forms it took to terrorize the protagonists, as well as its overall impact on the horror genre and status as a well-known horror icon.
