'I'm every nightmare you ever had! I am your worst dream come true! I'm everything you ever were afraid of!'
Pennywise, IT
Last Halloween, I wanted to spotlight an iconic character from the realm of horror. I chose American Psycho's Patrick Bateman, Demon Butcher of Wall Street. A devoted an entire day to the characters and some of the actors who played him on film and on stage. (HERE:) The highlight, was the skill and creativity of Jim from Studio1x who with the help of model Luke, brought the bloody Bateman to life, chainsaw and all.
This year, it was Jim who chose the iconic portrait of terror to bring to life. Pennywise is one of Stephen King's most terrifying symbols of evil, and IT was my introduction to King's work. I was in Jr. High when I saw the 1990 mini-series based on the novel. It had a nightmarish impact. Actor Tim Curry was brilliant as Pennywise, and the production remains one of my all time favorite King adaptations. I've previously featured the mini-series and it's cast HERE:
The mini-series not only cemented my crush on Jonathan Brandis, it also inspired me to go out and buy the novel. As scary as I found the movie, the book was far worse. As much as I loved it, I found that I could only read it during the day and in small doses. I had to stick it in my bureau drawer at night as even seeing the cover freaked me out just a little. It did however, being my love of the work of Stephen King, especially his books. From this point on, a Stephen King book was pretty much always on my nightstand.
Jim wasn't aware of my connection with Pennywise and IT, nor had he ever read the book. Jim was however, introduced to Pennywise while watching the first part of the recent film version. It was on a flight however, and Jim never got to see the ending. Still, as you can see from these images, the creepy clown certainly made an impact.
When it came to brining Pennywise to life, Jim had two initial challenges. First, finding just the right Pennywise costume and second, finding just the right model to put it on, and then take it off. Jim had met Jonathan through a mutual acquaintance on Instagram. Although Jonathan hadn't modeling in awhile, Jim thought he had the perfect look, and just the right energy to take on the challenge.
'Pennywise just came to life the moment Jonathan put on the mask. It was fun to see it all come together. '
To see read more about Jim and Jonathan's process of bringing Pennywise to life, and to see Pennywise de-clowned and de-clothed, check out the NEXT PAGE:
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