Top 20 Scariest IT Franchise Moments
#20: Paul Bunyan & the Hypnotized Townspeople
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With the Losers all back in Derry, they set out to find their various artifacts to complete the Ritual of Chüd. As Richie looks for his, he suddenly remembers when the statue of Paul Bunyan came to life and tried to eat him. Although the statue is back to normal in the present, Pennywise is there waiting, sitting on the shoulder’s statue. As he taunts Richie, Pennywise draws the townspeople into the act, demonstrating just how strong his hold over Derry really is. It’s surreal, creepy, and disturbing enough even before Pennywise charges right for him!
#19: Fortune Cookies
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Rendezvousing at a Chinese restaurant, the Losers discuss what to do next. At the end of the meal, and still not quite believing what Mike is telling them, they crack open fortune cookies. Inside however is a whole lot of . . . well, wtf. Nightmarish creatures spill out onto the table, including a bloated insect with a wailing baby's face - because who said nightmares had to make sense. Realizing that no one else in the restaurant can see the horrors adds another level of dread, with the Losers understanding that they are really on their own.
#18: The Burning Hands
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Like Henry murdering his father, this incident is based on a more realistic concept, and it is all the more distressing for it. The scene begins relatively tamely, with a blackened hand mysteriously emerging from behind the locked door. Creepy, yes, but nothing too nightmare-inducing. But then the real nightmare begins, as more hands emerge while screams can be heard and flames can be seen from behind the door. The entire concept of burning alive is enough to send anyone into fits of anxiety; and the sight and sounds of helpless people burning to death churns one’s stomach like no fictional monster ever could.
#17: Henry Bowers Kills His Father
Sometimes the scariest scenes are ones more grounded in reality. Sure, monsters are scary, but there’s something innately unsettling about an insane child murdering his father with a switchblade. The scene ratchets up the tension by showing us the balloon tied to the mailbox, the switchblade, and Henry’s utterly depraved expression. We’re then treated to the troubling sight of a TV presenter and a chorus of children urging Henry to kill his father as he sticks the switchblade in his neck. The combination of the dream-like images on the TV screen and the unsettlingly realism is enough to make this scene one of the film’s most memorable.
#16: It Comes to School
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The film makes great use of its amnesia premise, with the Losers’ experiencing flashbacks that show hitherto unseen scares from the summer of 1989. After the Losers fight and temporarily break up, Ben finds himself at school. Beverly comes to hang out and for a moment it seems that his crush on Bev isn’t as unrequited as he thought. But when she taunts him for misreading the signals, he makes the horrific discovery that he hasn’t been talking to Beverly at all. With her head on fire, It chases him through the halls of the school. Perhaps worse though, is that claustrophobic scene in the locker.
#15: The Painting
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We all had that one painting or figurine growing up. You know, the one that your parents had to stow away in the attic, or the one where you had to cover your face or close your eyes as you were walking past it. That relatable childhood experience is exploited here, when Stan is forced to confront his fears of the unsettling flute-playing… thing (seriously, who would even have this in their study?) Sure, the scene is a little clichéd – creaky door, something lurking in the shadows behind a character – but damn if it isn’t done in an effective way. And then it returns and eats Stan’s face, and we all wet our pants.
#14: Pharmacy Basement
Adult Eddie’s search for his artifact leads him to remember an encounter with his worst fear - the leper, who also showed up in the first film. As boy Eddie tries to rescue his mother, who’s strapped down in the pharmacy basement, the chained creature lunges forward, fingers grasping. Panicking, Eddie abandons his mother to the monster’s attacks. Disturbingly, it’s never clear if this is really her or an illusion. Adult Eddie confronts the monster again in that same basement, and it’s here that he figures out Pennywise’s weakness - and gets a face full of disgusting ichor for his troubles.
#13: Adrian Mellon's Death
The opening scene of “It Chapter Two” shows the return of Pennywise’s influence over Derry, when a gay couple is attacked on the streets. Homophonic teens beat Adrian Mellon bloody, and throw him off a bridge. As his boyfriend Don tries to save him, but Pennywise gets there first and bites a huge chunk out of poor Adrian. While a ravenous killer clown under a bridge is scary enough, the real-world element makes this scene so much more brutal, as the murder of Adrian was inspired by the 1984 murder of 23-year-old Charlie Howard. In a film of fantasy scares, it’s a chilling reminder that human monsters are very real.
#12: The Headless Chase
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The library scene is undoubtedly one of the movie’s best (who can forget the images of the creepy librarian staring at Ben, or the decapitated head in the tree?), and it ends on a spectacular note, with a headless body chasing Ben through the basement. The scene begins with the ominous image of a man descending the stairs. The filmmakers then use some expert framing, surprising us with the fact that the man is headless, complete with screeching musical accompaniment. It’s all then capped with a perfect jump scare when Pennywise rushes at Ben. Something for everyone!
#11: Return to Neibolt Street
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When the Losers first entered the Well House on Neibolt Street house as kids, they had no idea what to expect. As adults, however, they know it’s more than just a house of wood and stone - and haunted by something so much worse than a ghost. Pennywise doesn’t pull abt punches this time, either. Ben is sliced up by an unseen Pennywise, while the head of young Stanley does it’s best John Carpenter’s Thing impersonation. The Neibolt house has even more non-stop horrors than the first time around, never giving the Losers - or audiences - a second to breathe.
#10: The Deadlights
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No matter how scary some of It’s forms may be, there’s nothing more terrifying than the Deadlights. The Deadlights are It’s true, unimaginable form, and simply gazing upon them is enough to make a person go insane. The Deadlights are creepy and all, but what really makes this scene so terrifying is Pennywise’s face. We watch in heightened anticipation and utter disgust as his eyes roll into the back of his head, and his face opens up to reveal an endless maw of sharp teeth and the creepy sounds of people screaming. It’s enough to send Bev into a catatonic state, and it’s enough for us to declare this movie a terrifying piece of work.
#9: The Clown Doll Room
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We’ll take “rooms we would never want to be stuck in” for 200, Alex. This intensely creepy room full of clown dolls preys on a not-uncommon fear – yep. the fear of clowns. There are numerous ones in this room, and they all stare directly at Richie, and, through Richie’s point of view, the audience. The scene is taut with anticipation and tension, as we expect one of the dolls to attack Richie, or for Pennywise to jump out from his hiding place. However, the scene nicely subverts our expectations by revealing a disgusting Richie corpse doll, and saving the jump scare for the end.
#8: Claustrophobic Visions
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When the Ritual of Chüd fails, Pennywise is quick to separate the Losers, plunging them into their own nightmarish visions. Ben thinks he’s stuck in their old underground fort with the walls caving in, slowly burying him alive. Beverly on the other hand finds herself trapped in the bathroom stall where the girls at school used to torment her, about to drown in blood. And if she doesn’t drown, the things on the other side of the door will get her. Those who suffer from claustrophobia will cringe as Ben and Bev’s breathing space gets smaller and more desperate.
#7: Pennywise Emerges from the Fridge
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Well, this is one image we’re never getting out of our heads. To seemingly mock Eddie’s broken arm, Pennywise slowly emerges from a dark and dilapidated fridge… only, his body is completely contorted, forcing him to crawl out on his hands before completely reconfiguring his body to stand upright. The scene starts tamely enough – a spooky clown hand emerges from the fridge. Yawn. But then we see the unpredictable and frightening image of Pennywise’s upside-down, contorted body, and we can suddenly relate to Beverly’s catatonia. The sound effects of Pennywise’s shifting bones and the accompanying creepy music certainly don’t help. That’s one way to make an entrance.
#6: The Projector Scene
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As original as the Georgie Puppet is, we have to give the most original award to the projector scene – it’s new, it’s scary, and it’s unexpected. The scares begin with the slightly unsettling image of the projector moving on its own, and showing increasingly sinister pictures of Pennywise. Freaky, but nothing too bad, right? The true terror kicks in once the projector is knocked over. We wait in unbearable anticipation as the slides change and send us into darkness before a giant Pennywise emerges from the wall and chases the heroes. A creepy projector is fun, harmless horror. An unexpected, giant Pennywise is soul-searingly terrifying.
#5: Funhouse Mirrors
Trying to save Dean, a kid who lives in his childhood home, Bill follows the boy into the fun house at the town carnival. Despite the dizzying shifts, he manages to find him. Dean is freaked out that a grown man is following him – but soon realizes that there is a bigger danger lurking nearby. Bill tries to break the glass as Dean desperately tries to find a way out, but it’s soon clear that there is no escape. Bill can only watch in horror, pleading with It to take him instead, as Pennywise begins to smash the glass and then devours the boy.
#4: The Georgie Puppet
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Chalk this one up as one of the movie’s scariest original scenes. We all saw this scene in the trailer – Georgie mockingly taunts Bill with a creepy incantation of “you’ll float too” before Pennywise erratically charges at Bill. But the movie adds an unexpected twist when Georgie’s face begins to decompose, and his voice grows more demonic. Nasty. We also get to witness the mortifying visual of Pennywise mouthing the words and using Georgie as a little corpse puppet. Not too many movies contain child corpse puppets, so, uh, props to “It” there, we guess. To end the scene, Pennywise slithers away like a snake, because why not?
#3: Under the Bleachers
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At a baseball game, little Victoria Fuller is lured away from her mother by a firefly. Drawn below the bleachers, she meets a funny looking clown. While she’s suspicious of him at first, Pennywise explains that no one wants to be his friend because of how he looks. The girl, who has a large birthmark on her face, understands this all too well. Of course, it’s all a diabolical trick to lure her closer, right into Pennywise’s clutches. Just like poor Georgie in the first film, Victoria is taken in, and needless to say she doesn’t come back out from the bleachers.
#2: Mrs. Kersh
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While searching for her artifact, Beverly returns to her old home. Estranged from her father, she’s surprised to hear from the kindly old woman living there now that he’s passed away. Mrs. Kersh invites her in for tea, but it’s not long before it becomes clear that something is not right. The old lady is odd and we don’t mean eccentric. When Beverly lets her guard down, she’s attacked by a naked, monstrous, gigantic old lady. With the scenes long build-up and huge payoff, we won’t be forgetting Mrs. Kersh any time soon. Before we unveil our terrifying top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: The Leper Patrick’s Death Pulled into the Drain Eddie Attacked by Henry
#1: Georgie’s Death
This was scary in 1986. And it was scary in 1990. And it’s extra-scary in 2017. This is a masterful sequence, and it starts the movie in gruesome fashion, which is just how we like “It.” The sight of Pennywise in the darkened sewer is unsettling, but paralysing fear sets in once he attacks Georgie. We witness the attack in graphic detail, and it is overwhelmingly, monstrously horrifying. The sight of a child missing an arm and screaming in pain is a sight as disturbing as pretty much anything can be on film, ensuring that this movie starts with a warning – if you can’t handle this content matter, turn back now.
