Entertainment Weekly
Source: Entertainment Weekly
Stephen King’s iconic monster Pennywise from IT (1986) has roots and echoes across his and related works. Its precursor may be the 1973 short story Gray Matter, which features grotesque transformation and includes details reminiscent of IT’s sewers, white hair, and giant spider form.
In IT, Pennywise terrorizes Derry, Maine, taking the form of its victims’ worst fears. King later references Pennywise or Derry in several works:
The Tommyknockers (1987) – a brief clown hallucination in Derry.
Insomnia (1994) – the sewers of Derry are mentioned, echoing IT.
Dreamcatcher (2001) – a Derry plaque reads “Pennywise lives.”
11/22/63 (2011) – time-traveling protagonist encounters Losers’ Club members and hears of a clown-linked local legend.
NOS4A2 (2013, Joe Hill) – references Pennywise Circus in a parallel Derry-like setting.
Elevation (2018) – a Castle Rock band named Pennywise and the Clowns.
Later (2021) – a “deadlight,” central to IT, is referenced in a ritual to combat a malevolent spirit.
Gwendy’s Final Task (2022) – a character recalls being chased by a razor-toothed clown with silver eyes in Derry.
Across decades, King and others nod to Pennywise through sewers, Derry, the deadlights, or direct references, creating a web of intertextual connections.
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