‘Pennywise: The Story of It’ Documentary Explores Making of Tim Curry’s Monster Clown

Brent Lang
·2 min read
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Before there was the popular two-part horror film franchise “It,” a 1990 mini-series featuring Tim Curry as the child-eating clown Pennywise scared the bejesus out of a generation of television watchers.

“Pennywise: The Story of It,” offers up a behind-the-scenes look at the making of that earlier adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, which has achieve cult classic status over subsequent decades. The documentary will receive its world premiere on Oct. 15 at The Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia.

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The film, which is co-directed by John Campopiano (“Unearthed & Untold: The Path to Pet Sematary”; “Snapper: The Man-Eating Turtle Movie That Never Got Made”) and Christopher Griffiths (“Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser”; “You’re So Cool, Brewster”), was several years in the making and includes interviews with many of the key players. That includes “It” cast and crew members Tim Curry, Seth Green, Richard Thomas, Tim Reid, Richard Masur, Emily Perkins, Tommy Lee Wallace, Larry D. Cohen, Bart Mixon, Victoria Burrows, and more, as well as scholars of Stephen King’s work and even a professional clown.

“We live in an era where adaptations of Stephen King’s work have never been more prolific and culturally relevant,” Campopiano said. “From the hugely successful 2017 and 2019 theatrical remakes of ‘It’ and ‘Pet Sematary,’ the widely lauded sequel to ‘The Shining,’ ‘Doctor Sleep,’ TV series ‘Castle Rock,’ and the upcoming theatrical remake of his 1979 TV miniseries, ‘Salem’s Lot’ – this documentary is arriving at precisely the ideal moment.”

“Pennywise: The Story of It” was produced by Gary Smart, Campopiano, Adam Evans, and Hank Starrs, and executive produced by Laurence Gornall, Michael Leavy, and Jason Leavy. It is seeking distribution. Ahead of its world premiere, here’s an exclusive clip detailing how the production created Curry’s iconic look and documenting the actor’s reluctance to be too heavily made up as his menacing alter-ego.

Watch a clip below:

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