Pennywise’s Full Costume Revealed For Remake of Stephen King’s ‘It’

I’ll be honest with you, Pennywise scared the bejeezus out of me growing up. I mean, just look at that guy! It’s why Stephen King is considered the master of horror, as many have attributed their phobia of clowns to the original It miniseries/novel. And just when I thought I had gotten over my fear of Pennywise, what with the comfort and maturity that comes with adulthood, here comes a remake.

On Tuesday, Warner Bros. revealed the first full look at the diabolical clown, this time played by Bill Skarsgård, who will be taking on the mantle of a younger-in-appearance Pennywise in a new It movie. Skarsgård replaces Tim Curry from the 1990 TV movie classic.

The film will be directed by Andy Muschietti, helmer of 2013 horror flick Mama.

The studio revealed the first look of Skarsgård in full Pennywise garb and as expected, the results are just as, if not more menacing and terrifying than its original counterpart. Gone is the puffy, Wonder Bread-esque costume Curry wore in the original. Instead, Pennywise has been equipped with a darker, sleeker look that hearkens to times past.

Entertainment Weekly reported that Muschietti received the services of Emmy-winning costume designer Janie Bryant (Deadwood, Mad Men), and what resulted is a costume that was influenced by the Medieval, Renaissance, Elizabethan, and Victorian eras, according to the magazine. Bryant told EW, “The costume definitely incorporates all these otherworldly past lives, if you will. He is definitely a clown from a different time.”

In the picture below, you can more clearly see the differences in this Pennywise from the old one, as well as the similarities: the wide gap-toothed smile, red lipstick, white makeup, and flaming hair are still there, but as if he wasn’t terrifying enough, his red lipstick seems to stem from two scrawling lines bisecting his eyes, perhaps playing on the “crying clown” persona. The new costume takes an almost court jester-like appearance, complete with puffy collar and frilly sleeves. But the sleeker look remains, with skintight gloves, a high waistline and form-fitting pants that give certain parts of the clown elongated features. Finally, he does possess traditional pom-poms on his boots, but to make matters worse for the rest of us, the boots don’t seem to be even touching the floor. Skarsgård’s terrifying smirk only adds to the overall package of this reveal, one that does justice to Pennywise’s eternal, sinister nature.

So…here’s the picture (brightened for clarity). Sweet dreams.

It is not scheduled to hit theaters until Sept. 8, 2017.