IT’s 10 Scariest Forms That Aren’t Pennywise Ranked (Including Three Cut From the Movies and Show)

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When people think of Stephen King’s IT – whether it’s the book, the films, the TV series, or the terrifying monster itself – the image that almost always comes to mind is the clown. This is understandable, as Pennywise the Dancing Clown has consistently been shown as IT’s most common form in various adaptations and is what fans gravitate towards. While relying heavily on the clown makes things easier for actors – one performer can play the monster repeatedly – a key strength of IT is its ability to shapeshift and take on many different forms.

Most fans know Pennywise is the most famous form of IT, but it’s not the only one. Throughout the book and its adaptations, IT has appeared as many frightening things – a creepy librarian, a burned child, a swarm of piranhas, a monstrous baby, and even the decaying bodies of those it’s killed. What’s interesting is that Pennywise isn’t the only scary part of IT, and some of its most disturbing forms actually appear only in Stephen King’s original novel.

10) The Head of Stan Uris

When Mike called, urging us to come back to Derry because IT had returned, it hit all of us hard. But only one of us couldn’t face it: Stanley. The memories were just too much, and he tragically took his own life, writing just one word – “IT” – in blood on the bathroom wall. It was chilling, and IT didn’t waste a second exploiting it. It manifested as Stanley’s severed head, using it to torment the rest of us, promising we’d all be joining him soon. It was a brilliant, awful move, because it really showed both sides of IT. It’s terrifying, and seems to know exactly what scares each of us, but it also has this twisted sense of humor, like it genuinely enjoys playing sick games.

9) Dobermann

When IT helps Henry Bowers break out of Juniper Hill Asylum as an adult, it uses a variety of frightening forms. First, it appears to Henry as the ghost of Victor Criss, manipulating him into doing its bidding. As they leave, IT terrifies another patient, Jimmy Donlin, by appearing as his decaying mother. However, the most impressive transformation happens while they’re escaping: the guard, Koontz (possibly named after author Dean Koontz), is revealed to be terrified of Doberman Pinschers. IT capitalizes on this fear, transforming into a massive, eight-foot-tall Doberman still wearing its clown outfit, and uses this form to kill Koontz, clearing the way for Bowers’ escape.

8) Georgie

It’s well-known that the entity in ‘IT’ enjoys tormenting its victims, so its initial form resembling Georgie shouldn’t be unexpected. What’s particularly clever about this approach is that IT doesn’t just prey on Georgie’s fears, but uses him to target Bill’s insecurities and self-doubt. By appearing as Georgie, IT can manipulate Bill into believing he was responsible for his brother’s death. The strong performance by young actor Jackson Robert Scott as Georgie also makes these scenes with Pennywise even more frightening for audiences.

7) Pickle Dad

The “Pickle Dad” is a completely unique and disturbingly horrifying version of IT introduced in the HBO series IT: Welcome to Derry. Based on the local rumor that Lilly Bainbridge’s father was tragically killed in an accident at the pickle factory, IT manifests as her deceased father inside the pickle jars at the grocery store. After a terrifying glimpse of her father’s face, Lilly accidentally breaks several jars, and his remains – intestines, hands, and feet – merge into a massive, revolting heap that smells strongly of vinegar. This version of IT is one of the few times in Welcome to Derry where the show’s original ideas are as inventive and chilling as Stephen King’s source material.

6) Creature From the Black Lagoon

In Stephen King’s novel, Eddie Corcoran is one of the children killed by the monster IT in 1958. Initially, IT haunts him with visions of his deceased brother, but ultimately transforms into a terrifying version of the Creature from the Black Lagoon to kill him. What makes this scene so frightening isn’t just that IT’s creature is more brutal and quick than the movie monster, but that Eddie doesn’t believe in what he’s seeing, even as it kills him. He realizes, with his last breaths, that the Creature isn’t real, yet it’s still able to rip his head off and devour his body. The true horror isn’t the violence itself, but the fact that Eddie’s fear overwhelms his logic, making the scene even more disturbing.

5) The Giant Bird

In Stephen King’s IT, Mike Hanlon envisions the monster as a massive bird – not just any bird, but one combining the traits of a crow that once bothered him as a baby and Rodan, a giant flying creature from the Godzilla films. This bird, with a twenty-foot wingspan, relentlessly attacks Mike at the ironworks, even using its talons and beak to try and eat him. While likely cut from adaptations due to budget or a desire to keep the monster’s forms non-human, this encounter is one of the most frightening in the book. The creature quickly transforms into a powerful giant, and the scene is particularly long and suspenseful, leaving the reader wondering how Mike will escape.

4) Dracula

The creature, IT, starts its encounter with Ben in the Derry library by playfully mocking him as Pennywise, using some of its familiar jokes. However, it quickly changes into a terrifying Dracula-like form – but far more frightening than any movie version. This isn’t a human Dracula; it’s something much worse. Instead of normal fangs, IT has teeth made of razor blades, which it uses to cut its own lips and face, flinging pieces of its own flesh at Ben while screaming in a bloody frenzy.

3) The Deadlights

Often considered the most genuinely terrifying aspect of Stephen King’s IT, the Deadlights are a hypnotic, intensely bright light. In the films, this light emanates from Pennywise’s frightening, tooth-filled mouth. Simply seeing the Deadlights can paralyze someone, turn their hair white, and ultimately drive them mad. Combined with the agonizing screams of IT’s victims and a disturbing, resonating sound, the Deadlights are a deceptively simple but incredibly effective way to establish IT as the ultimate monster.

2) The Leper

IT exploits Eddie’s hypochondria by appearing as a decaying leper, so gruesome that his nose seems to have fallen off. This form is intensely disturbing due to its repulsiveness. While Javier Botet portrays the leper effectively in the movie, the book’s depiction is even more shocking. The creature emerges from under the porch of the house on Neibolt Street, still partially dressed as Pennywise the clown, and extends its tongue to an unnatural length. It then chases Eddie, making disturbing advances. This scene is designed to be deeply unsettling and horrifying, fully immersing the reader in Eddie’s perspective and his constant fear of contamination and lifelong illness.

1) Mrs. Kersh

Okay, so IT’s scariest form isn’t always its most monstrous, and I think Mrs. Kersh really proves that. What makes her so terrifying isn’t just what she is, but how IT is playing things so cleverly. She starts off as this sweet, harmless old lady, inviting Bev in and seeming totally normal and kind. But then, as the scene goes on, you start to see the cracks in that act. The book actually describes how her skin and teeth start to change, becoming more and more disturbing – it’s a really unsettling build-up!

The story also reveals that the woman, Mrs. Kersh, is actually Bob Gray – and that he’s the original Pennywise the Dancing Clown. By the time she transforms into The Witch, she becomes arguably the most frightening of IT’s forms besides Pennywise himself, thanks to her terrifying appearance and the significant backstory revealed along with it.

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2026-01-11 16:41