When It comes to terrifying clowns, Pennywise is king. The character has been terrorizing audiences for decades, first appearing in Stephen King’s novel It in 1986. Since then, the character has been brought to life on the big screen twice, once in a television miniseries and once in a feature film.
Pennywise is a shape-shifting creature who primarily takes on the form of a clown. He uses this guise to lure children so that he can feed off of their fear. In the original book and both films, Pennywise’s reign of terror takes place in the fictional town of Derry, Maine.
The first time audiences were introduced to Pennywise was in the 1990 television miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s It. The miniseries starred Tim Curry as the titular character and was directed by Tommy Lee Wallace. While it was not necessarily well-received by critics at the time, it has since gained cult status. Curry’s portrayal of Pennywise is widely considered to be one of the most iconic depictions of a horror villain ever put onscreen. His performance is over-the-top and sinister, yet also strangely charming. This makes it all the more unsettling when he lures children into his clutches with promises of balloons or candy before killing them brutally.
In 2017, director Andy Muschietti adapted It into a feature film starring Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise. The new movie updates the story for modern times while still paying homage to Curry’s iconic performance. Skarsgård brings his own unique take to the role, making Pennywise even more nightmarish than before while still maintaining some semblance of charm.
Here are the most chilling Pennywise quotes you will ever found floating on the Internet.
Some of the quotes appear in the following video:
Table of Contents
- Pennywise Quotes from It (1990)
- Pennywise Quotes from It (2017)
- Pennywise Quotes from It: Chapter 2 (2019)
- Interesting Facts about It Movies
Pennywise Quotes from It (1990)
I’m every nightmare you’ve ever had. I’m your worst dream come true. I’m everything you ever were afraid of.
Excuse me, sir. Do you have Prince Albert in a can? You do? Well, you better let the poor guy out! A-ha! A-ha! A-ha!
Young Bill: Kill It, Bev!
Pennywise: Kill! Me? Oh you are priceless, brat! I am eternal, child. I am the eater of worlds, and of children. And you are next!
BEEP BEEP Richie! They all float down here. When you’re down here with us, you’ll float too!
Excuse me, ma’am. Is your refrigerator running? It is? Well, you better go catch it before it runs away! A-ha! A-ha! A-ha!
Want a balloon?
Let go. Be afraid. You all taste so much better when you’re afraid.
You’re too old to stop me! You’re all too old.
Do you want a balloon, Ben? They float. They all float.
You’ll die if you try.
Hot enough for you up there, is it?
Won’t do any good to run, girly boy.
Take your pick, B-b-b-Billy boy. Oh, except for the one on the end, that’s already taken. Sorry.
They all float down here.
Pennywise: Don’t you want a… balloon?
Georgie Denbrough: I’m not supposed to take stuff from strangers. My dad said so.
Pennywise: Very wise of your dad, Georgie. Very wise indeed. I, Georgie, am Pennywise the Dancing Clown, and you, are Georgie! So now we know each other! Correct?
Pennywise Quotes from It (2017)
Georgie: I’m not supposed to take stuff from strangers.
Pennywise: Oh! Well, I’m Pennywise, the dancing clown. “Pennywise?”. “Yes?”, “Meet Georgie”. “Georgie, meet Pennywise”. Now we aren’t strangers. Are we?
Pennywise: POPCORN! Is that your favorite?
Georgie: Uh-huh.
Pennywise: Mine too! Because they pop! Pop, pop! Pop, pop! Pop, pop, pop!
Beep Beep Richie!
Beverly Marsh: Let him go!
Pennywise: NO! I’ll take him! I’ll take all of you! I’ll feast on your flesh as I feed on your fear… Or… you’ll just leave us be… I will take him. Only him, and I will have my long rest and you will all live to grow and thrive and lead *happy* lives, until old age takes you back to the weeds.
Time to float.
Pennywise: This isn’t real enough for you, Billy? I’m not real enough for you?
Richie Tozier: Holy shit!
Pennywise: It was real enough for Georgie!
Where you going, Eds? If you lived here, you’d be home by now! Come join the clown, Eds. You’ll float down here. We all float down here. Yes, we do!
Tasty, tasty, beautiful fear.
Hahaha you’ll die if you try to fight us! You’ll die if you try!
Pennywise Quotes from It: Chapter 2 (2019)
For 27 years, I dreamt of you. I craved you… I’ve missed you!
Kiss me fat boy!
Me, small? I am the eater of worlds!
Close your eyes if you don’t believe. close them and see.
All those buildings, all those sit-ups! I also knew you were going to die alone.
Run, run, run, run… You haven’t changed anything yet. You haven’t changed their futures. You-you haven’t saved any of them. Close your eyes Bev.
Did ya miss me Richie? Cause I missed you. No one wants to play with the clown anymore. Play a game with me, wouldja? How about Street Fighter? Oh yes, you like that one, don’t you? Or maybe, truth or dare! Oh you wouldn’t anyone to pick truth though, wouldja Richie? You wouldn’t want anyone to know what you’re hiding. I know your secret! Your dirty little secret. Oh I know your secret, your dirty little secret! Should I tell them Richie?
Interesting Facts about It Movies
After you’ve enjoyed some terrifying (and at times funny) Pennywise quotes, here are a few interesting facts about It movies that may surprise you.
- Seeing Bill Skarsgård in Costume for the First Time – Bill Skarsgård is the actor who portrait It/Pennywise in It movies from 2017 and 2019. However, the child actors saw him fully in custom only when it was necessary, meaning they saw him in the clown custom only when they were shooting scenes with him. Producers decided this in order to retain their terror when they first saw him in the custom and with fully makeup. They also didn’t hang around Skarsgård outside of shooting, not to get used being around him, and keep the fear from the clown during the movie shooting real.
- Pennywise Could Have Been Played By Will Poulter – Initially, Cary Fukunaga was set to direct the new version of It, and he decided he wanted Will Poulter from “We’re the Millers” to play the part of Pennywise. After Andy Muschietti signed on to direct the new version of It, Poulter decided to drop out as he liked and preferred Fukunaga’s vision of the dancing clown, and didn’t connect with the vision of Muschietti.
- Chloë Grace Moretz Could Have Played the Role of Beverly Marsh – In 2009, when the new version of It was being developed, Chloë Grace Moretz was the first choice to play the part of Beverly Marsh. However, because development took forever, Moretz changed her mind and was no longer interested. By the time production of the movie began, she was already too old to play the role intended for her back in 2009.
- The Director Started Working on a Sequel Before it was Approved – The new version of It was split into two parts. The first came out in 2017 and the second one in 2019. However, producers couldn’t be sure how the first movie will go and whether it will succeed, in order to make the sequel, but director Andy Muschietti did not wait for the official green light and started working and chapter two even before it was approved.
- The Director is Already Planning a Third Movie – Originally, It: Chapter two was even longer than the final, released version. How much longer? Well, the director had 4 hours of polished footage for the second movie, and he had to cut down it down to “only” 2 hours and 49 minutes. He said that he wishes at one point to edit the unused footage into another instalment in the franchise.
For more quotes from terrifying movie characters, please see our list of best movie villain quotes of all time, as well as our pages for The Silence of the Lambs quotes and Hannibal Lecter quotes.