2017's IT was a movie that became a smash-hit overnight, becoming one of the highest-grossing R-rated movies of all time.
When audiences first learned that a film was being made based on Stephen King's masterpiece, they were skeptical beyond belief. Tim Curry had already knocked the character out of the park back in TV miniseries from the '90s, and it was going to be difficult to condense a thousand-page book into two hours. When Bill Skarsgard was cast as Pennywise, the skepticism shot to new levels. Then, the first trailer was released.
It was everything you could ask for: full of creepy moments mixed with terrifying music and just enough of the story to pique our interests. By the time the movie itself came out, buzz was through the roof! The movie went on to make over $700 million, shocking the world and leading to the sequel being green-lit almost instantaneously.
What made IT such a crowd-pleaser was the fact that it found the perfect blend of "coming of age" flick and pure horror. In other words, it was a perfect Stephen King adaptation!
Those watching the movie could also tell that it was a labor of love by those who made it; director Andy Muschietti and the actors who brought the characters to life all put every ounce of their livelihood into its production. Let's take a deeper look into the making of IT: Chapter 1.
Here are 20 Behind-The Scenes Photos From IT That Change Everything.
20 THAT Bite Scene
One of the biggest issues most Stephen King fans had with the original miniseries was that it left out a lot of the more graphic aspects of the book. It was shown on regular TV and had to follow the ratings guidelines of the time. Now, with a full-on "R" Rating for the film, audiences wondered just how much of the gory details from the book would be included in the film.
Right off the bat, the director let us know what we were in for when Georgie graphically lost a limb in the opening moments.
In this photo, we get to see the behind-the-scenes of the big moment; on screen it's made even more terrifying with the use of prosthetics and CGI.
Even without the special effects, Bill Skarsgard's intensity makes this photo uncomfortable, to say the least!
19 Real Losers Get Ice Cream
One of the biggest standouts from IT was the incredible cast of child actors who portrayed the Losers Club.
Stephen King is one of the best "coming of age" writers on top of being one of the best horror writers; his stories often capture the spirit and nostalgia of readers' childhood years perfectly. The Loser's Club from IT is no exception!
This behind-the-scenes photo takes place while the actors were filming at Derry's local swimming hole, a pivotal scene where the Losers all finally come together and bond over the horrors they had witnessed. While the cameras weren't rolling, the actors were all treated to a delicious ice cream cone while they hung around the set.
There's also something hilarious about how Jeremy Ray Taylor (the actor who played Ben) is just lurking out in the background wearing his shades.
18 The Adult Losers Assemble
Almost immediately after the credits of the first film rolled (deeming it "Chapter One"), audiences went wild with speculation about who could play the grown-up Losers in Chapter 2.
The first film was such a smash hit that it was only natural that the studio would up the ante for the sequel and pick up some A-listers.
Just recently, the full cast was announced (including Bill Hader as Richie, Jessica Chastain as Beverly, and James McAvoy as Bill).
Though we all knew who would be playing the adult versions of the characters, there's still something magical about seeing the entire cast together. This picture from one of the early table reads was released just after the announcement was made; it shows the adult Losers laughing it as they talk about the story laid in front of them.
17 We Found Him!
Richie Tozier (played by Stranger Things' Finn Wolfhard) was a standout of IT's cast. Richie was the smart-aleck of the Loser's club, always making rude comments and cracking dirty jokes in between using foul language to communicate with his friends. Deep down, however, Richie was the most scared of them all.
After the sudden disappearance of Georgie and the others, Richie's greatest fear was to "go missing" and wind up in the belly of Pennywise.
Of course, this only gives the creature more of an incentive to strike fear into the boy's heart. This photo shows Wolfhard and fellow Loser Wyatt Oleff holding up one of the prop missing posters for Tozier that appears in one of his dream sequences.
16 Pennywise Goofing Off
Though fans were skeptical of Bill Skarsgard when he was announced as titular character, they quickly changed their tone once they saw him in cation. This portrayal of Pennywise may have been downright terrifying in the movie, but actor Bill Skarsgard is known for being a sweetheart and an all-around good-humored guy.
Once his make up was done, Skarsgard stayed in it for as long as he possibly could so that it wouldn't have to be reapplied.
This photo shows the actor goofing around, wearing an all-black outfit and red sneakers as he hangs off some bunks and wears a baseball cap. Just as a cherry on top, Skarsgard makes the same creepy face that the character became known for.
15 Happy Losers
Because they are so young and inexperienced, it takes pure talent or an excellent director for a child actor to turn in a memorable performance. Thankfully, Andy Muschietti had previous experience working with child actors with his debut horror film Mama in 2013,
It should come as no surprise, then, that Muschietti was able to pull some incredible performances out of the kids playing IT's Losers Club. The director treated the kids with the same respect and compassion that he would his own. Pictures like this show us that not only was the cast close with each other, but the entire production crew felt like one big family.
14 The Sewer Set
The sewers play a huge role in the story of Stephen King's novel. The tunnel systems give the children indicators of where Pennywise might strike next, and it also gives them an idea of where his lair is located. In the movie's climax, they bravely venture into the bowels of the city to save Beverly from the creature's dead lights.
To film the epic conclusion to the story, the production crew actually constructed a giant system of tunnels for the actors and director to film in!
This picture shows us the pure scope of the set. If you look closely you can see the sewer entrance, the well opening, and the lair of the film's villain.
13 Old and New Losers Unite
Filming for IT: Chapter 2 may just have started, but the cast already knows how to get us hyped up for the sequel!
All over social media, the actors are sharing their best behind-the-scenes pictures of themselves, their castmates, and their production crew as they make movie magic happen. James McAvoy (the adult Bill Denbrough) has been particularly busy on social media.
This picture is particularly interesting, as it unites the child Losers with their adult counterparts. The bottom left polaroid shows McAvoy with Jaeden Lieberher (aka his younger self). Other images portray McAvoy with costar Jessica Chastain and grown-up Mike actor Isaiah Mustafa.
12 The One Thing That Scares Richie
The friendship that is shared between the Losers Club is one of the defining features of IT, but the friendsip between Richie and Eddie is on another level in the novel and the original mini-series.
The two are the perfect foils to each other; Richie is the jokester of the group while Eddie is the straight arrow. Eddie is a germaphobe that worries about everything, while Richie couldn't care less about what could happen (at least on the surface). The two make a great odd couple for the story!
This photo shows us the one thing that can finally make Richie Tozien crack: human contact!
Actor Jack Dylan Grazer puts his arm around his pal, who responds with a look that can only be described as a cross between concern and cringing.
11 Bill Skarsgard's real-life smile
Come on, everybody knows that Tim Curry can't be topped! Right? Wrong. Skarsgard's iteration of the character was able to jump between humorous and horrifying eloquently in a way that Curry's version couldn't. Even when he was just standing around stalking his prey, Pennywise could creep us out with the strange little expression he always did with his lips.
While on Conan promoting the movie, Bill Skarsgard revealed that the "lip smile" was something original that he brought to the character himself. Apparently, it was something he used to do as a child to freak out his brothers. When he got cast as Pennywise, he thought it was time to share his brothers' heebie jeebies with the world!
10 The Only Thing More Intimidating Than IT...
There's a reason that Stephen King's IT is considered to be one of the scariest books ever written. Pennywise and his many ways of torment are horrific, sadistic, and downright disturbing. Even when his methods weren't gory, per-say, they were so twisted and creative that they made our skin crawl.
Who could possibly intimidate Pennywise the Dancing Clown? Apparently, director Andy Muschietti!
This picture shows just how in control the director was of his actors during the filming of this movie; when he starts giving directions, even a full-makeup Bill Skarsgard stands at attention and listens!
Considering the freaky stuff we got out of the finished product, Muschietti seems like a guy who knows exactly what he wants out of a horror film.
9 Celebrating Filming
One of the features that makes IT such a unique film is that it is an R-rated horror film that, aside from its monster, features a main cast consisting solely of preeteens. Sure, other monster movies have nailed the dynamic of a group of young friends, but normally those are more humorous or lighthearted in tone. Meanwhile, IT pulls no punches!
The cast of the movie seems to be a fairly tight-knit group. This photo (used as one of the first looks at the characters) shows the actors for Ben, Bill, and Stanley all holding up the backs of their chairs, giving us a name to match with the faces.
Little did we know that this was during the filming for the movie's terrifying climax...
8 Pennywise without wig
We have to hand it to the creators of this movie. It would have been very easy to go the Jaws route and save money by rarely showing Pennywise or his different forms. It also would have been simple to use mostly CGI to create the terrifying clown.
The effects for the character were created using a blend of prosthetics, makeup, and the digital effect.
Of course, the fact that the effects were mostly practical means that Bill Skarsgard had to sit through tedious hours of makeup each day before filming could begin.
This photo captures the transformation in progress, as two of IT's makeup artists work diligently on making Skarsgard's baldcap blend in with his head using white face paint. All the while, Skarsgard just sits there patiently, already looking intimidating in his red lipstick and pasty white face.
7 Cute selfie with Pennywise
Whoever did the production design for IT deserves a lot of credit. Even when the movie's villain is doing something as simple as standing there holding a balloon silently, he looks creepy as heck! We also have to give it up for Skarsgard's physical performance of the character; he made it seem as though IT was truly something from another world trying to blend in and be human.
This photo was snapped behind the scenes, with a member of the film's production posing with a fully-clad Pennywise the Dancing Clown.
Even though we know it's really just an actor in a bunch of makeup, this picture feels unsettling, to say the least.
Sure, Skarsgard is probably hamming it up for the camera, but this is an image that will haunt our nightmares for the next few nights.
6 A Not-So-Abandoned House
About three-quarters of the way through the movie the Losers Club attempts to put a stop to Pennywise's villainy once and for all. Of course, it doesn't quite go as planned, and the resulting failure of the group leads to the standard third-act drama that sets up the climax.
The Neibolt House is supposed to be the "creepy old place" with a secret entrance to the sewer system under Derry.
In this photo, we see that the Losers Club wasn't so alone when they went to face the evil entity. It also shows the passion and drive that Andy Muschietti had while making the movie. He stands near the end of the house trying to explain to his crew how to frame the upcoming scene just right while the actor playing Bill looks on attentively in the background.
5 The Kids and the Clown
The performance of Bill Skarsgard in IT is one of those that is hard to separate from the actor himself. He got so into the character that it's hard to believe that he and Pennywise are one and the same when you just look at a simple photo of the two. Likewise, it is somewhat jarring to see the actor in cast photos without his makeup.
Every now and again, you need a little reminder that Bill is just an actor playing an evil character.
In this photo, he finally gets to pose with the cast of the Losers Club without trying to be scary or evil whatsoever. In fact, were he a little bit younger, he'd probably fit right in with these guys!
4 The Contortion Scene
One of the most memorable scenes in this movie is the confrontation with Pennywise in the Neibolt House. After he has divided the group and scared them all nearly out of their wits, he slowly opens the door of the fridge from the inside, revealing himself to be packed into the appliance. Creepily, he uncontorts his body and saunters over to the horrified child.
In the behind-the-scenes videos, we find out that there were a few different factors that went into the creation of this scene. The director had Skarsgard inside of a fridge that had no back. The actor had been training with a contortionist for the scene, so some of what you saw was real body-bending!
When Muschietti shouted "action!" the door was opened and Skarsgard's body was pulled out with wires on a dolly; the "unraveling" was then done with CGI.
3 Bev's Message to the Losers
It shouldn't have surprised anyone that Jessica Chastain was selected to play the adult version of Beverly Marsh. She and Muschietti have worked together before on Mama, and the actress is the spitting image of Sophia Lillis (who played Bev in part one). It will be interesting to see how the actress plays off of her costars in the upcoming sequel.
According to social media, things are already off to a great start! Chastain has constantly been posting pictures of the cast hanging out on her instagram, and apparently she sent the above lite-brite message to all of her fellow "Losers" when they had been cast. It's actually a message that is completely on-point with what the character would do!
2 Pennywise and the Director
Pennywise was actually intentionally kept separate from the children when they weren't on set filming. The director believed that, while the kids all needed to hang out and become friends to make the movie more believable, Bill Skarsgard should be isolated so that he could focus on his own character. This meant that for the first few weeks of filming, the children were legitimately intimidated by Skarsgard and his performance!
Near the end of filming, however, we started to get more pictures like the one above. The cast started to loosen up and have more fun in between takes. This photo shows Pennywise and Andy Muschietti posing for what looks like the hottest album of 2017.
1 A Post-Mortem Selfie
We kicked off this list with that traumatizing scene, and we're going to finish with it as well! The opening scene with Georgie and Pennywise showed us exactly the kind of movie IT was going to be. There would be no punches pulled. Nobody was safe. The director wasn't afraid to show gore and controversial imagery. It was going to be a wild ride!
This photo depicts a man taking a selfie with Georgie right after Pennywise stole his arm.
The actor's hamming it up for the camera while wearing the prosthetic replacing where his right arm should be. It's a goofy photo taken in the aftermath of one of cinema's most gruesome scenes.
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Have you seen these behind-the-scenes photos from IT? Are you excited for Chapter 2? Let us know in the comments!
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