Stephen King has written dozens of novels that have terrified generations of readers, but few have left a scar on the cultural consciousness quite like It. The massive 1986 tome tells a time-limited story about a group of outcast children fighting a shape-shifting monster in Maine, but the book also fundamentally altered how the world perceives clowns, transforming harmless circus entertainers into symbols of absolute terror. The legacy of the book is undeniable, spawning multiple adaptations that have attempted to capture the cosmic dread of King’s original vision. As a result, from low-budget television experiments to massive Hollywood blockbusters, the story of the Losers Club and their battle against the eater of worlds continues to be a dominant force in the horror genre.
That dominance was reaffirmed recently as IT: Welcome to Derry wrapped its first season, bringing the terror of Pennywise back to the small screen. The prequel series generated massive buzz by bringing back Bill Skarsgård to reprise his nightmare-inducing role, expanding on the origins of the shapeshifting creature and his cyclical reign of terror over the town. With the franchise currently fresh in everyone’s mind, we are looking back at every live-action adaptation of this terrifying tale to judge them on their scares, their fidelity to the source material, and their ability to make us afraid of storm drains.
5) Woh
Image courtesy of Zee TV
Most fans of Stephen King are completely unaware that an Indian television adaptation of his most famous novel exists, and those who do know about it often wish they could forget. Aired in 1998, Woh is a 52-episode Hindi series that takes the core premise of It and stretches it into a melodramatic soap opera that lacks the budget or the tone to support its horror elements. The series features M.M. Faruqui, aka Lilliput, as the titular villain, but the script strips away the cosmic origins of the character. Instead of an ancient interdimensional entity, this version of Pennywise is the vengeful spirit of a man who was bullied for his short stature, turning the embodiment of pure evil into a tragic figure with a mundane backstory.
The primary issue with Woh is its sheer length and pacing. While Ashutosh Gowariker does a serviceable job as the leader of the cast in a role roughly equivalent to Bill Denbrough, the series is bogged down by repetitive subplots and musical cues that drain all tension from the narrative. Furthermore, the special effects are practically nonexistent, relying on crude camera tricks that fail to evoke even a fraction of the fear found in the source material. Woh serves as a fascinating cultural curiosity for die-hard completionists, but as a horror adaptation, it fails to land a single effective scare.
4) IT Chapter Two
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
The conclusion to Andy Muschietti’s cinematic duology had the difficult task of adapting the adult timeline of the novel, which is widely considered the weaker half of the story. Still, IT Chapter Two assembles an incredible cast, featuring Jessica Chastain (Beverly Marsh), James McAvoy (Bill Denbrough), and Bill Hader (Richie Tozier), capturing the grown-up versions of the characters we fell in love with two years prior. Hader, in particular, delivers a standout performance, balancing his character’s defense-mechanism humor with genuine trauma. The film also features some inventive creature designs, including a horrifying scene involving a fortune cookie.
However, IT Chapter Two suffers from a bloated runtime and severe tonal inconsistencies that undercut its momentum. In addition, the reliance on CGI to de-age the younger cast members in flashbacks looks uncanny and distracting, pulling the viewer out of the emotional reality of the scenes. Finally, the film struggles to make the metaphysical “Ritual of Chüd” translate to the screen, resulting in a climax that feels more like a fantasy video game than a grounded horror movie. While it provides closure to the Losers’ story, it lacks the tight focus and terrifying simplicity that made its predecessor an instant classic.
3) IT: Welcome to Derry
Image courtesy of HBO
The anticipation for IT: Welcome to Derry was palpable, especially with the return of the definitive modern Pennywise. The series, set in 1962, offers a fascinating look at the town’s history, anchored by strong performances from Taylour Paige (Charlotte Hanlon), Jovan Adepo (Leroy Hanlon), and Chris Chalk (Dick Halloran). Seeing the racial tensions of the era mixed with the supernatural rot of the town provides a compelling new layer to the mythology, and Skarsgård remains an absolute force of nature, slipping back into the clown makeup with a terrifying ease that reminds us why he owns this role.
Unfortunately, the series is held back by production choices that dilute the horror. The show relies heavily on digital effects that often look unfinished, turning visceral moments into cartoonish splashes that fail to register as real threats. More egregiously, the writers fell into the trap of overexplaining the cosmic lore. By introducing a military plot involving General Shaw (James Remar) attempting to weaponize the entity, and diving too deeply into the mechanics of Pennywise, the show strips away the mystery that helps make the creature so frightening. Cosmic horror thrives on the unknown, and by trying to overexplain the monster, IT: Welcome to Derry inadvertently makes the eater of worlds feel small.
2) IT (Miniseries)
Image courtesy of ABC
For an entire generation, Tim Curry is the only Pennywise that matters. That’s because the 1990 two-part television event IT overcame the limitations of network censorship and a television budget to create a piece of horror history that stands the test of time. Curry delivers a performance that is distinct from the modern iteration, using a gravelly voice and a deceptive joviality to lure children to their doom. The first half of the miniseries, which focuses on the young Losers Club, is genuinely fantastic, capturing the warmth of childhood friendship and the creeping dread of growing up in a cursed town.
The IT miniseries is not without its flaws, particularly in the second half. The adult actors, including Richard Thomas (Bill Denbrough) and Harry Anderson (Richie Tozier), struggle to match the chemistry of their younger counterparts, and the pacing drags significantly once the story moves to the present day. Additionally, the final reveal of the creature in its spider form is infamous for its poor puppetry, which unfortunately provokes laughter rather than screams. Despite these dated elements, the strength of the first part and Curry’s iconic performance secure its place near the top of the ranking.
1) IT
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Andy Muschietti’s 2017 adaptation of IT is a lightning-in-a-bottle moment for the horror genre. By shifting the timeline to the 1980s and focusing exclusively on the children, the film captures a nostalgic vibe that perfectly complements the terror. The casting of the kids is flawless, with Finn Wolfhard (Richie Tozier) and Sophia Lillis (Beverly Marsh) creating a dynamic that feels authentic and deeply emotional. Unlike previous versions, this film carries an R-rating, allowing it to explore the brutal reality of the violence and the disturbing undercurrents of abuse that define the town of Derry.
Above all, IT belongs to Bill Skarsgård. His interpretation of Pennywise is animalistic and drooling, a glitching predator that seems barely able to contain its hunger. The opening sequence, where innocent Georgie (Jackson Robert Scott) meets his fate at the storm drain, is a masterwork of tension and brutality that sets the tone for the entire runtime. Still, the film balances jump scares with genuine character development, ensuring that we care deeply about the kids before throwing them into a nightmare. IT is the definitive version of Stephen King’s work, proving that a blockbuster horror movie can have both a brain and a heart.
Which version of Pennywise do you think is the scariest? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!