25 things you didn’t know about your favorite horror movies
It (2017) – The number 27 strikes again
A fear of clowns may be one of the most common phobias, but the movie It — based on the novel by Stephen King — probably intensified those phobias by 100%.
In It, a group of bullied kids come together to solve the mystery of missing children around town, including one of the kids’ own brother, Georgie. The pre-teens take on a shapeshifting, dark spirit that disguises itself as Pennywise The Clown in order to end its reign of terror. They may be losers at school, but they prove that they’re the bravest kids in town when they fight against a monster made of pure evil!
Pennywise, played by Bill Skarsgård, is a twisted kind of monster who feeds on the fear of children. In order for Skarsgård to get into the right mindset to play a character that evil, he did some research into other famous psychopaths in cinema. He drew inspiration for the role from films like The Shining, A Clockwork Orange, The Dark Knight and The Silence of the Lambs.
Like many other actors, Skarsgård and director Andy Muschietti felt that it might be best to keep the other cast and crew away from Skarsgård at the beginning of production. Not only did they want to guarantee a genuinely shocked reaction from the young actors, but they also wanted to avoid any leaked photos from the highly-anticipated project.
While this strategy may have worked well, Skarsgård revealed he felt very lonely during filming and wished he could’ve had fun with the rest of the crew, who all apparently had a blast.
Another interesting fact about this film has to do with the number 27. This number is often associated with It for a few reasons. The 2017 film was released 27 years after the original 1990 television adaptation, and in the original story, It returns to the town of Derry every 27 years. The film’s sequel is slated to be released on June 9, 2019, which, if you add up 6+9+2+0+1+9, equals 27.
On a sadder note, Jonathan Brandis, who played young Bill in the original TV project, committed suicide at the young age of — you guessed it — 27.