With Pennywise making a return to our screens with IT Chapter 2, I thought I’d revisit
the first film and go over every scene with a fine-tooth comb to point out all of the
times that Pennywise was hidden away in the background, secretly watching our characters.
It’s crazy the number of times that he pops up and hopefully, this list will enrichen
your love for the film by showing you just how much of a hold that the killer clown has
on the town of Derry. There will be some spoilers here in regards
to the movie so if for whatever you haven’t seen it yet then I highly suggest that you
turn off now. With that out the way let’s get into my
breakdown of every time that Pennywise was hidden away in the background of a scene.
Every time Pennywise Was In The Background Of IT
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The first one comes right at the beginning of the movie when Georgie is going down to
the basement. Throughout the house there are several small images of Pennywise engrained
into the wallpaper as Georgie make to get the wax and in a blink and you’ll miss it
moment that roughly takes place over two frames, you may also notice his small shiny eyes watching
the young boy at the top of the stairs as he descends into the basement.
Whilst he also appears later in the scene, hiding under the stairs, this is the first
of many examples that show that he’s always one step behind his prey, constantly stalking
them and waiting for the perfect moment to attack.
3
The Library Scene ________________
Up next is the Library scene with Ben in which there are several minor appearances by Pennywise
before he makes his final play and tries to attack the character. The first one comes
in the form of the creepy librarian that slowly watches Ben as he reads about the history
of Derry. Throughout the scene the mysterious librarian creepily stares at him, smiling
as he digs deeper into what exactly may be going on in the town. It’s a really haunting
scene and is something that I didn’t even pick up on my first couple of watches though
the more you focus on the background of the scene, the more that you realise that Pennywise
is slowly making his play. it chapter 2 easter eggs explained every time
pennywise was in the background of a scene things you missed post credits scene trivia
Another blink and you’ll miss it moment also happens in this scene when Ben is flicking
through the book, in a small frame that flies by so fast you have to screenshot it in order
to see it, you will see the children’s Easter egg hunt that infamously ended in disaster.
In the top right of the photo when paused you will notice a blurry vision of Pennywise
that shows he was the cause behind the massacre and has been in the town at several key points.
5a
Ben Gets Bullied ________________
Soon after this scene, Ben is caught by Henry Bowers and we see a balloon pop up in the
back window of a car during the attack as he calls out for help. This shows that Pennywise
has a hold over the adults in Derry and is psychically controlling them so that they
will appear nonchalant to any trouble that children in the area get into. Whilst this
one is rather obvious it adds a nice amount of subtext to the city and definitely lets
you know that Pennywise has the ability to reach into pretty much every aspect of Derry.
Ben’s Wound ________________
The next one comes during the scene in which the Losers Club try and help Ben with his
cuts. The characters are all leaning up against a wall with graffiti behind then which seems
innocuous enough until, during the scene, Pennywise’s face appears in the markings
watching them. The face definitely isn’t there earlier in the scene so it’s safe
to say that this has been done with something else other than a spray can. It’s an awesome
little addition that once again cements just how able Pennywise is with hunting his prey,
he can follow them wherever he wants to and this makes him infinitely more terrifying.
6
The Fair ________________
Up next is another rather obvious one but I thought I’d include it in case you missed
it. During the scene in which the losers club all admit that they are afraid of something,
we can see a clown on the stage in the background staring at the group and when Richie says
that he hates clown, the figure reaches out menacingly to him with a balloon and from
this point out just stares at him. Yep, that’s Pennywise alright.
The TV Show ________________
And finally is his appearance in the TV show that seems to be plastered across every television
screen in Derry. Whilst Pennywise definitely appears at the end, taunting Henry to kill
his own father, if you go back and watch the movie you will notice that this show also
appears in the rest of the film. Firstly Eddie’s mother is sat watching it when the children
go out, later when Beverly sneaks past her father, he too is watching it. So it might
just be a great thing to watch like the Heavy Spoilers show right? Well, you can actually
hear the woman in the show say “it’s ok to go play in the sewer. It’s safe and fun!”
This, of course, is telling children to enter Pennywise’s domain and to potentially become
his next meal so yeah, it’s definitely probably the creepiest thing that anyone could be watching.
What makes it clear that it’s all because of Pennywise is cemented by the fact that
it’s playing when Beverly sneaks past, then when we cut back to the tv moments later it’s
just playing static. Your Thoughts
And that’s every time that I noticed Pennywise popping up in the background of a scene in
the film. Obviously, I’d love to hear your thoughts on these, did you notice them and
have you spotted any more? Comment below and let
me know!