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The long-awaited IT has finally arrived. Today marks the premiere of the first part of Mama director Andres Muschietti’s two-part, R-rated adaptation of Stephen King's monumental novel IT. As we eagerly await the new Pennywise and what the filmmakers have in store, let’s revisit the earlier 1990 adaptation of King’s masterpiece.
Airing over two nights in November 1990, ABC’s two-part presentation of Stephen King’s IT continues to haunt and captivate viewers. If you grew up watching this chilling film, a never-ending source of terror for many, join us as we uncover some of the shocking behind-the-scenes truths about the 1990 version of Stephen King’s IT.
10. Tim Curry Was the Subject of a Set-wide Avoidance
At some point in our lives, we were all children. And like every child born after 1990, there came a time during childhood when an older sibling would surprise us with a film. We'd watch as a young boy in a yellow rain slicker chased his paper boat down a quaint, flooded street, set against the backdrop of a stormy suburban day.
And then, the little boy's boat was pulled down into the storm drain . . .
From that moment on, things were never the same. As the boy tries to retrieve his boat from the terrifying depths of the sewer, he encounters the living nightmare of Tim Curry’s Pennywise. It turns out, though, that it wasn’t just our childhoods that were scarred by Tim Curry’s portrayal of the dancing clown from Stephen King’s iconic novel. He was also a near outcast on the set of the movie.
Come on, who could possibly blame anyone for keeping their distance from that face?
9. Tim Curry Initially Rejected The Role Of Pennywise
Despite delivering a performance so filled with terror that he is now ranked alongside Friday the 13th's Jason Voorhees and A Nightmare on Elm Street's Freddy Krueger, Tim Curry initially hesitated to accept the role of the shape-shifting clown from another world. After his recent portrayal of the Darkness (aka the Devil) in Ridley Scott’s 1985 fantasy film Legend, Curry wasn't eager to endure another heavy makeup transformation.
In a final attempt to secure Curry for the role of Pennywise—which he knew Curry would excel in—director Tommy Lee Wallace promised to reduce the amount of prosthetics used to transform him into the universe's most terrifying clown. Curry agreed, and the rest is cinematic history.
8. The Original Two-Part Broadcast Was a Resounding Success
Perhaps concerned that such a terrifying adaptation of King’s novel would be invading the living rooms of millions, ABC may have briefly hesitated before fully committing to their costly two-part IT adaptation. As it turns out, however, the outcome was anything but disappointing.
When “Part 1” aired on November 18, 1990, the broadcast achieved an impressive 18.5 rating and captivated 17.5 million households. “Part 2” performed even better, earning a remarkable 20.6 rating after 19.2 million viewers tuned in to witness the horrifying conclusion—if such a thing was possible. In fact, “Part 2” became the second-most-watched broadcast of the evening on Tuesday, November 20, 1990.
It seems America was more than happy to have their nightmares delivered straight into their homes via ABC and Stephen King.
7. Tim Curry Wasn’t Fond of the Ending
Like every other person on Earth, it turns out that even Pennywise himself (aka Tim Curry) wasn’t thrilled with the way “Part 2” concluded. And who could blame him? With a “unconvincing” spider taking over the visual representation of It during the final half hour, many fans were left in complete disbelief, asking, “What?”
The original ending of Stephen King’s novel was deemed too intellectual for network executives, so the Ritual of Chud was swapped out for a puppet and a slingshot.
But we can’t fault director Tommy Lee Wallace, as he shared the same disappointment with the ending as Curry and the rest of us. Wallace had storyboarded an entirely different conclusion, but—like most TV movies—there simply wasn’t enough time or budget to bring his vision to life.
6. Two Stars From The Miniseries Tragically Passed Away In 2003
In what could be seen as a cruel bout of irony befitting Pennywise the Dancing Clown himself, in the year 2003, actors Jonathan Brandis (young Bill Denbrough) and John Ritter (adult Ben Hanscom) both passed away. Brandis tragically took his own life by hanging himself on November 12, 2003, in West Hollywood, California. John Ritter died in the same hospital where he was born after suffering chest pains on the set of his sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter on September 11, 2003.
On top of portraying Stuttering Bill Denbrough in IT, Brandis was known for his role in Sidekicks with Chuck Norris and a leading role in the sci-fi series SeaQuest DSV. Ritter was, of course, best known for his role as Jack Tripper in the classic sitcom Three’s Company.
5. The Director Didn’t Read The Novel Before Making The Film
As crazy as it may sound, the director of Stephen King’s IT hadn’t read so much as a sentence from the source material when he was offered the chance to step behind the camera and helm the two-part adaptation for ABC. Wallace instead chose to merely go off what screenwriter Lawrence D. Cohn (famous for penning another King adaptation with 1976’s Carrie) had handed over to him and the network’s executives.
Years after wrapping up his work on the 1990 miniseries, Wallace—who had previously worked as John Carpenter’s protege on films like Halloween before moving on to direct Halloween III: The Season of the Witch—finally decided to read Stephen King's novel. After diving into the massive book, Wallace confessed that his miniseries never quite reached the same heights (or sheer terror) as King’s magnum opus. I think we can all agree with him on that one.
4. IT Was Almost a Ten-Hour Miniseries Directed by George A. Romero
In an interview with horror news outlet Shock Til You Drop, Lawrence D. Cohen revealed a startling fact: before ABC brought Tommy Lee Wallace on board, they considered another legendary King collaborator. Night of the Living Dead and Creepshow director George A. Romero was initially set to direct the network’s ambitious five-night, ten-hour version of King’s novel.
However, as fate would have it, ABC executives grew increasingly concerned about the novel’s horrific and unsettling content and decided to trim the film down to a two-night, three-hour format. Disappointed by the network’s drastic alterations to King’s novel, Romero decided to step away from the project, leaving us all to wonder for years (and generations) just how incredible a George A. Romero-directed version of Stephen King’s IT would have been. Try not to shed a tear as you think about it.
3. Alice Cooper Was Also Considered For The Role Of Pennywise
Yes, you might argue that this entry could fit in with the previous one, but the mere thought of Alice Cooper donning the clown costume deserves its own spotlight. While it's unclear how serious the film’s producers were about casting Cooper as Pennywise, it's still a fascinating tidbit of trivia.
Seriously, take a moment to imagine what the master of shock rock would have brought to such a substantial role. Even though we’ll never get to see Cooper's take on Pennywise, we’re certain his performance would have been one for the ages.
2. Roddy McDowall And Malcolm McDowell Were Considered For Pennywise
As surprising as it may be to imagine anyone other than Tim Curry (or Bill Skarsgard) donning the iconic red nose and shock-red hair of Pennywise the Dancing Clown, the producers of the 1990 miniseries actually had a few other actors in mind for the role. Both Fright Night's Roddy McDowall and A Clockwork Orange's Malcolm McDowell were under consideration to play the shape-shifting terror with a notorious dental condition.
In the end, we were fortunate to have The Rocky Horror Picture Show's Tim Curry take on the role of the clown lurking in the sewers. However, one can't help but wonder how Malcolm McDowell's iconic portrayal of Alex DeLarge might have brought a different dynamic to the role of Stephen King's most dreaded villain.
That said, Curry was more than capable in the part. No complaints here.
1. The Film Premiered the Same Year Bill Skarsgard Was Born
At the time of writing this article, director Andres Muschietti’s film adaptation of IT has yet to grace the screens. But that hasn’t stopped anyone from acknowledging that Swedish actor Bill Skarsgard is absolutely chilling as the latest incarnation of Pennywise. For a fun fact to share with your friends, Skarsgard was born on August 9, 1990, just three months before Tommy Lee Wallace’s two-part ABC miniseries originally aired.
We can easily imagine that, like the rest of us, young Bill Skarsgard had his own moment where someone, likely his older brother Alexander, convinced him to watch a movie about a little boy in a yellow raincoat chasing his paper boat down a rain-swollen gutter.
And that thought just brings a giant smile to our faces.
