This article contains mention of homophobia and violence.
Throughout the IT movies and miniseries, Pennywise’s quotes offer bone-chilling reminders of why he is one of the most memorable horror movie villains. Author Stephen King is one of the most prolific horror writers of all time as he can create monsters that tap into the most basic human fears. While many great Stephen King adaptations exist, perhaps the best-known are the movies IT (2017) and IT Chapter Two (2019), as well as the 1990 IT miniseries and the new TV show IT: Welcome to Derry, which returnsfor season 2. This centers on a group of friends called the Losers Club who go up against a shape-shifting alien called IT.
IT wakes up every 27 years, tormenting the town of Derry, Maine. The monster takes the form of a victim’s worst nightmares, feeding off their fear. Throughout both the movies and the miniseries, IT’s most common form is that of Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Played by Bill Skarsgård in the movies and the prequel TV series Welcome to Derry, and Tim Curry in the two-part miniseries, Pennywise manages to torture many little kids with his appearance and words. Many of Pennywise’s quotes throughout the adaptations are terrifying enough to induce nightmares in the bravest souls.
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“Come to Papa!”
It: Welcome To Derry Season 1, Episode 7, Said To Ingrid Kersh
Pennywise is no stranger to exploiting people’s weaknesses to lure and prey on them. He does it repeatedly with the Losers’ Club, especially when they’re young, and with the little girl in It: Chapter 2. The IT: Welcome to Derry line “Come to Papa!” is extremely sinister in the same vein because it weaponizes Ingrid’s grief and family trauma to lure her in. She has severe emotional scars about her father’s disappearance, and Pennywise knows this because he’s the one who caused it.
What’s more, the statement has a crueler level because she is technically coming to her papa, or at least the last place he was alive, as Pennywise eats him. Of course, she doesn’t know this. Ingrid Kersh believes Pennywise is her dad until she actually comes to him. Then he uses the Deadlights on her.
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“Do You Have Prince Albert In A Can?”
IT Miniseries (1990), Said To Richie
One of the most terrifying aspects of Pennywise, no matter the version of the character, is that he always gives the distinct sense that he’s (for lack of a better term) playing with his food. He likes to taunt and toy with his victims before devouring them. This happens multiple times in IT and IT: Chapter Two, as well as in the original Stephen King novel. However, it’s Tim Curry’s version of Pennywise in the 1990 IT miniseries that best plays on the fact that Pennywise is a clown.
Of all the creepy Pennywise quotes from the miniseries, the moment when Tim Curry’s take on the killer clown demon manifests to Richie in a library full of people is perhaps the moment that best plays on Pennywise’s tendency to taunt his prey with humor. He actively tells Richie a joke, leaving Richie (and many viewers) incredibly unnerved. To make the moment even more terrifying, Richie quickly realizes that nobody else in the library can see Pennywise, making it clear that even when surrounded by others, he isn’t safe.
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“What’s The Matter? Do I Have Face On My Face?”
IT: Welcome To Derry Season 1, Episode 7, Said to Ronnie Grogan
Pennywise has the sickest sense of humor, which is once again displayed when he says, “What’s the matter? Do I have face on my face?” He says this while actively eating and dismembering Noreen the Black Spot. The taunt downplays the entire situation, making it sound like he just has pasta sauce on his face while eating dinner. The contrast between the situation, complete and total carnage, and the flippant statement creates shock humor that gets creepier the longer it sits with the audience.
On top of that, the statement’s even more disturbing because it’s said to a child, Ronnie Grogan, not an adult. It would’ve been awful no matter what, but the person receiving it doesn’t have the mental ability to process all of the terror she’s seeing in the long term. She will always have to remember those completely uncaring words years later.
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“See You In Your Dreams.”
IT Miniseries (1990), Said To Eddie
There’s often a debate around whether Tim Curry or Bill Skarsgård were better as Pennywise. While Skarsgård definitely brought something unique to the role, there are just as many creepy Pennywise quotes which can be attributed to Tim Curry in the 1990 IT miniseries. One of these comes when Pennywise manifests in front of Eddie while the boy is taking a shower.
After Pennywise claws his way up through the grate in the floor, he begins to taunt Eddie, telling him that he “just wanted to say hello”. While the whole sequence is terrifying and unsettling, it’s the moment that Pennywise tells Eddie, “See you in your dreams” that makes for the creepiest quote in the monologue. It speaks to the fact that none of the Losers Club, or indeed, the population of Derry, can ever truly escape the evil clown. Even if Eddie survives the encounter, he’ll be haunted by traumatic visions of Pennywise forevermore, and Pennywise knows it. Eddie might be physically fine at this point, but psychologically the damage has already been done.
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“People Always Make Fun ‘Cause Of The Way I Look.”
IT Chapter Two (2019), Said To Vicky
One of the most harrowing death scenes in both movies or the 1990 miniseries comes in 2010’s IT: Chapter Two. It’s when a young Derry girl, Vicky, encounters Pennywise underneath the bleachers at a high school football game. Completely unaware of the danger she’s in, Vicky makes the mistake of approaching Pennywise and engaging with him. Pennywise tells Vicky that he is her friend to lure her in, but Vicky is skeptical. “If you’re my friend,” she asks, “why are you hiding in the dark? You’re not my friend, you’re scary…”
Had she simply turned and ran, Vicky may have survived. Unfortunately, she makes the mistake of asking a follow-up question, “Why are you crying?” This is when Pennywise responds with an incredibly, incredibly creepy quote, especially in the context of speaking to a little girl as young as Vicky:
“People always make fun ‘cause of the way I look. I thought if you couldn’t see my face, maybe you’d want to be my friend. Nevermind…Oh, silly ol’ Pennywise, you’ll never have no friends.” —Pennywise in IT: Chapter Two
This Pennywise quote is so scary because it serves as a reminder of who, and what, the evil clown truly is. He’s a predator that prays on children. He uses Vicky’s insecurities about a birthmark to win her confidence, after which she’s promptly devoured.
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“Hiya, Georgie.”
IT (2017) and IT Miniseries (1990), Said To Georgie
The first line said by Pennywise in both IT and the IT miniseries is, “Hiya, Georgie.” While the words on their own aren’t terrifying, they become one of the creepiest lines when examined in context. Pennywise is talking to Georgie from inside the sewage drain, a location that nobody should be. The little boy never tells the monster his name, making it eerie that he knows. What’s more, the specific way of greeting Georgie sounds casual, friendly, and familiar.
This contrasts with his unnerving physical appearance and tone of voice – which subtly hints at the shape-shifting monster’s sinister intentions. While Pennywise is attempting to lure Georgie close enough so he can strike, the line also highlights the darkly playful way Pennywise speaks to his victims. Georgie is unaware of the danger at this moment, but even when the victims are aware, Pennywise enjoys playing this game with them and acting like a friendly clown.
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“Why Him? Because You Weren’t There, Billy!”
IT Chapter Two (2019), Said To Billy
Georgie’s death is not only a shocking and disturbing way to kick off the story, but it also serves as a moment that will haunt Bill Denbrough for the rest of his life. He is filled with guilt over the loss of his younger brother, seen both in the first movie as well as the sequel, where it becomes clear that even in adulthood, Bill has not gotten over the trauma. As expected, this is something that Pennywise latches onto and constantly tortures Bill with.
In It: Chapter Two, there is a sequence in which Bill imagines visiting the sewer where Pennywise grabbed Georgie. He breaks down into tears and in anger, crying out loud as to why it had to be Georgie who was taken. As Bill gets up to leave, Pennywise’s voice answers the question. He further taunts Bill with the same guilt-ridden idea that has been in his mind for years — if Bill had been there with Georgie, maybe he’d still be alive.
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“Beep Beep, Richie.”
IT (2017) and IT Miniseries (1990), Said To Richie
IT is one of the best horror movies about a group of friends, as the Losers Club makes for an endearing team of heroes. They are outcasts who come together to make each other feel better and stronger in the face of their everyday struggles as well as the growing threat of Pennywise. Of course, it fits into Pennywise’s sadistic ways that he even uses this friendship against the heroes when he begins targeting them.
“Beep beep Richie” becomes a recurring line in the franchise that the other characters say to Richie Tozier. It serves as a comical warning whenever Richie is going too far. However, when the friends are exploring the derelict house, Pennywise surprises Richie and repeats the line to him before attacking. It serves as a chilling tease that Richie and the others have gone too far in investigating Pennywise and he is after them now. It also shows that he is watching them closely.
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“You Will Be.”
IT (2017), Said To Beverly
Pennywise’s sadistic glee in tormenting his victims is unsettling, but it becomes even scarier when he takes a more serious tone. Among the Losers Club, Beverly seems to be the most confident and strong of the young heroes and she proves it even when she is taken by Pennywise to his sewer lair. While Pennywise grabs Beverly by the throat, she tells him that she is not afraid of him.
In a subtle moment of Pennywise’s vulnerability, he seems to sense that this is true. He twitches in frustration, but instead of this seeming like a triumphant moment for Beverly, it becomes more frightening with how angry Pennywise seems at this revelation, and he promises that he will change that. While it is a somewhat cliché horror movie villain line, it does conjure up a lot of fear about what else Pennywise might do to ensure he can feast on this child’s fear.
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“I’m Pennywise, The Dancing Clown.”
IT (2017), Said To Georgie
One of the least scary-sounding quotes that’s really terrifying is Pennywise’s introduction to Georgie in IT. The line is delivered immediately after Georgie says he isn’t allowed to take things from strangers. By introducing himself, Pennywise disarms Georgie’s hesitations. What’s more, by using the phrase “Pennywise the Dancing Clown” instead of just his first name, the monster makes himself sound more appealing to Georgie, a kid who has positive memories of the circus.
This quote shows just how manipulative Pennywise is, making it much more creepy than many of his other statements. While shape-shifting aliens aren’t something that the general population would be able to relate to, psychological manipulation is something that happens in the real world.
It’s terrifying to know that humans can do damage in the same way a shape-shifting alien does. Additionally, this character isn’t just manipulating an adult. Pennywise is preying on children, the most vulnerable population. This adds a certain level of depravity to this introduction.
