Top 10 Scariest Forms of IT

The ancient creature “It” hails from a void known as the Macroverse, and its truest form is the eldritch energy known as the Deadlights. But its true PHYSICAL form, at least on Earth, is the giant spider-like monster that appears in the finales of both the mini-series and duology. Admittedly, the mini-series spider was a little goofy - especially in retrospect. But it was absolutely horrifying in 2019’s “It Chapter Two”. The idea of a giant Spider with a clown’s head is scary no matter what, but it’s relentless pursuit of The Losers through dark caves makes you just want to curl up into a ball.

A gigantic lumberjack might not seem like a potential source of horror. But Pennywise can make just about anything terrifying. During a flashback in “It Chapter Two”, young Richie remembers sitting on a bench after being bullied by Henry Bowers. As he dries his eyes, he notices that the town’s Paul Bunyan statue has mysteriously disappeared. The next instant, it’s right there next to him, with bats flying out of its mouth. Its roar, size, and razor-sharp teeth make it instant nightmare material; and the fact that it appears in broad daylight, right in the open, leaves Richie - and audiences - feeling all the more helpless.

The long-haired, flamethrower-wielding Patrick Hockstetter was pretty terrible to begin with. Part of Henry Bowers bully entourage, he’s picked off by It in “It: Chapter One”, becoming part of the missing child folklore of Derry. In “It Chapter Two” however, he makes a return, crawling out from under Henry’s bed. The visit from an old friend is part of It’s plan to lure Henry out of a mental institution. Of course, having been dead for 27 years, the late Patrick is looking a little worse for wear. It’s a brief encounter, but it had us as panicking just as much as it did Henry.

Who ordered eyeball?! Heralding It’s return when the Loser’s are all grown up, the fortune cookie scene is featured in both the mini-series and duology. And for sheer , stripped-back weirdness, we’re going to give this one to the mini-series. When the group start opening fortune cookies after a meal, they discover much more than vague aphorisms and predictions inside. One explodes in blood, another houses a cockroach, while a third has a bulging eyeball. Ben’s is armed with sharp pincers. But the creepiest scare of all is a bird embryo, feebly squawking for help. Yikes.

You know those paintings where the eyes follow you around the room? Well this is much, much worse. During Stanley’s first encounter with It, he finds himself shying away from a surreal, Amedeo Modigliani-inspired painting. After he straightens it up and walks away, he finds it’s fallen on the ground and the woman in the frame is gone. Cue the flute. Bursting from the shadows, the gangly woman shoots Stanley a terrifying stare and chases him out of the room. The monstrous creature returns to haunt Stanley again during their time in the sewers. As if sewers weren’t creepy enough.

Sadly, at the beginning of “It Chapter Two”, Stanley takes his own life after hearing of It’s return. But that doesn’t stop him from turning up to terrorise the rest of the gang later on, or at least his likeness. While investigating the 29 Neibolt Street house again, the gang watch as the fridge door swings open. Inside is a zombified Stanley. But it doesn’t end there. His head rolls off his shoulders onto the floor, sprouts spider legs and chases after them. His agonizing screams make the scene that much more horrifying - as if it’s really him and he doesn’t understand what’s happening to his body.

With an undead, or spider-like monster, at least you know where you’re at. But there’s something even more disturbing about a kid in a raincoat that wants you dead . . . especially when you consider that, in Bill’s case, it’s his murdered little brother. And that’s what makes this It transformation so eerie. We can see that it’s Georgie, but with his suggestive grin and shift in vocal delivery and body language, it becomes increasingly obvious that this cute kid, ain’t really a cute kid at all. This version of Georgie appears several times in the movie duology, and it’s his faux innocence that makes us drop our guard each time . . . only for Pennywise to reveal himself.

A germaphobe and hypochondriac, Eddie is absolutely paranoid about diseases. His fear is encouraged by his overbearing mother, in a classic case of Munchausen syndrome by proxy. This makes It’s choice of form for Eddie all too easy. While walking past the Well House on Neibolt Street, he stops to take his medication . . . when It appears in front of him. Dressed in rags and oozing pus and drool, the figure is Eddie’s worst nightmare come to life. As he scrambles away, it shambles after him, chasing him into the backyard. Eddie’s imagination would concoct another frightening disease monster in “It Chapter Two”.

If you think old people are cute and harmless . . . think again. During a visit to her childhood home in “It Chapter Two”, Beverley encounters a sweet old lady, Mrs. Kersh. But something clearly isn’t right with her. If the long pauses aren’t enough to creep you out, then maybe her twitching and fidgeting will be. The situation starts to unravel as Bev notices sores on Mrs. Kersh’s chest and old family photos featuring a familiar face. Things reach a dramatic conclusion when Mrs. Kersh beckons from the shadows and charges at Bev, roaring with her arms flailing in the air.

Before we unveil our scariest pick, here are a few honourable mentions.

Headless Boy

Sewer Kids

Captain Hanscom

Ms. Starrett Doppelganger

Pomeranian Dog Monster

Clowns are creepy enough . . . without giving them pointy teeth! By far the most favoured form of It, Pennywise seems friendly and harmless at first glance - making him all the more effective at luring in children. Similar to demon Georgie, however, it’s Pennywise’s unassuming appearance juxtaposed with his evil true nature that make him truly spine-chilling. He can also elongate his limbs, and appear as a giant, just to add to the terror. Combine that with signs of his presence, like floating balloons and distant laughter, and you’ve got one of the most legendary, petrifying movie monsters of all time.