Disney film inspired Stephen King to be horror genre king

Clowns are scary, but apparently deer can be just as frightening. 

And as Stephen King’s creepy Pennywise the clown – with his red hair, chalk white skin and sinister smile – gets ready to hit theaters in It on Friday, it may come to a surprise that it was actually a cartoon that inspired his love for horror flicks.  

‘The first movie I ever saw was a horror movie. It was Bambi,’ he said to Rolling Stone in an interview in 2014. 

‘When that little deer gets caught in a forest fire, I was terrified, but I was also exhilarated. I can’t explain it. 

 

And as Stephen King’s creepy Pennywise the clown – with his red hair, chalk white skin and sinister smile – gets ready to hit theaters in It on Friday, it may come to a surprise that it was actually a cartoon that inspired his love for horror flicks

'The first movie I ever saw was a horror movie. It was Bambi,' he said to Rolling Stone in an interview in 2014

‘The first movie I ever saw was a horror movie. It was Bambi,’ he said to Rolling Stone in an interview in 2014

‘My wife and kids drink coffee. But I don’t. I like tea. My wife and kids won’t touch a pizza with anchovies on it. But I like anchovies. The stuff I was drawn to was built in as part of my equipment.’

But for the author, the thrill of being scared is what drives his love for horror flicks. 

He added: ‘I thought it was great fun to scare people. I also knew it was socially acceptable because there were a lot of horror movies out there. 

‘And I cut my teeth on horror comics like The Crypt of Terror. 

He added: 'When that little deer gets caught in a forest fire, I was terrified, but I was also exhilarated. I can't explain it'

He added: ‘When that little deer gets caught in a forest fire, I was terrified, but I was also exhilarated. I can’t explain it’

Pennywise himself, once played by Tim Curry and now taken on by Bill Skarsgard, appears in a variety of forms - yet it is the red-haired, white-faced clown that has haunted viewers' dreams the most

Pennywise himself, once played by Tim Curry and now taken on by Bill Skarsgard, appears in a variety of forms – yet it is the red-haired, white-faced clown that has haunted viewers’ dreams the most

Back in April, Stephen King revealed that those who make their living dressing up in white make-up, red noses and floppy shoes have been none to pleased with the recent revival of his popular horror story and its nightmare-inducing villain, Pennywise the murderous clown. 

‘The clowns are pissed at me. Sorry, most are great. BUT… kids have always been scared of clowns. Don’t kill the messengers for the message,’ he wrote. 

Pennywise himself, once played by Tim Curry and now taken on by Bill Skarsgard, appears in a variety of forms – yet it is the red-haired, white-faced clown that has haunted viewers’ dreams the most.

Although the new movie is due to open at the box office on September 8, It already seems on track to be a success with critics calling it ‘polished’, ‘surprisingly funny’, and even one of the best movies of the year. 

 

 

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