The Stephen King Adaptation to Ruin Countless Childhoods is Now Streaming on HBO’s Max
Killer clowns are all the rage these days. Don’t believe me? Listen to these statistics. The Stephen King adaptation It: Chapter One is literally the top-grossing horror film of all time. Terrifier 3 is currently slaying at the box office and claimed the #1 slot over the weekend. The common thread seems to be that people love killer clowns.
But wait, there’s more. The Tommy Lee Wallace-helmed It miniseries was an early indicator of our collective fascination with killer clowns. The two-part broadcast grossed over 30 million views in two nights and stood as the greatest success of 1990 for ABC’s parent company at the time, Capital Cities.
Dread Central’s IT Losers Club reunion panel
Naturally, you might assume the novel on which the miniseries is based was also a resounding success. And you would be correct in that presumption. In fact, Publisher’s Weekly named It the bestselling hardcover fiction book of 1986. Killer clowns for the win.
For some the fixation with killer clowns likely stems from facing coulrophobia (fear of clowns) in a safe environment. After all, these are just movies, right? For others, I suspect the thrill comes from seeing a character normally tasked with delighting children taking a decidedly sinister turn. No matter the reason why we collectively love them, killer clowns are an effective tool for bringing on terror. And Pennywise is undisputedly the granddaddy of them all.
If you’re eager to get your killer clown fix on, fear not. The original screen adaptation of Stephen King’s It is now available to stream via HBO’s Max. The 1990 miniseries stands as an impressive effort and a strong precursor to Andy Muschietti’s eventual take on the property.
The setup for the It miniseries goes as follows:
In 1960, seven preteen outcasts fought an evil demon that posed as a child-killing clown. Thirty years later, they reunite to stop the demon once and for all when it returns to their hometown.
The miniseries cast includes Harry Anderson, Dennis Christopher, Richard Masur, Annette O’Toole, Tim Reid, John Ritter, Richard Thomas, and of course Tim Curry as Pennywise.
That’s all we have for you at present, dear reader. Stay tuned to Dread Central for more updates on which noteworthy films and series are available to stream and where you can find them. Also, be sure to follow us on Twitter (X) so you never miss out on an exciting update.
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