Pennywise: The Story of It (1990) documentary

[mae]

http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/203233/new-documentary-way-original-film-version-stephen-kings/

Around these parts we’re HUGE fans of the television adaptation of Stephen King’s IT, but one of our contributors, John Campopiano (Unearthed & Untold: The Path to Pet Sematary), is a SUPER fan! Thus far he’s written several retrospectives on the film for us, and now he and Dead Mouse Productions (You’re So Cool, Brewster! The Story of Fright Night) have a film version on its way!

“We’re in full pre-production mode on an in-depth examination of Stephen King’s IT the miniseries, book, and legacy of Pennywise the Clown,” Campopiano tells us. “We’re also going to delve into the impact Tim Curry’s portrayal of Pennywise has left on horror films and popular culture in general by looking at coulrophobia (i.e., fear of clowns) and the recent uptick of clown scares across the country. What’s more, we’ll be paying serious attention to the three prongs we see as critical to telling the story of this film: stories from the cast, crew, as well as the stories that lie hidden under the surface in the local communities in which IT was filmed. Our search for behind-the-scenes content is also well under way and—even at this early stage—we’re really pleased with what we’re digging up.”

John continues, “As far as talent involvement, we’re still very much building our list, talking with people, and gauging interest and availability, so for that reason we’ll keep most names close to the vest for now. However, we do feel comfortable announcing that director Tommy Lee Wallace, special makeup effects supervisor Bart Mixon, and miniseries associate producer Mark Bacino are all on board. The list is growing every day, and we anticipate giving fans a lot to be excited about in terms of talent interviews.”

https://i0.wp.com/www.dreadcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/it-doc.jpg

[mae]

http://screenrant.com/tim-curry-pennywise-it-documentary/

In today’s divided social climate, there are but a few things that can manage to unite most. One such sentiment is that despite their supposed goal of making children laugh, clowns are creepy. There’s just something about them that gets the under the skin of many, whether it be their painted-on grins, or garish make-up. Over the years, the world of pop culture has played host to more than one malevolent clown, but few are as famous as Pennywise, the favored form of the shape-shifting antagonist of Stephen King’s classic novel IT.

Director Andy Muschetti is set to bring King’s story to the big-screen this fall, but of course, that won’t be the first time Pennywise has been immortalized on film. That happened back in 1990, when IT was adapted into a two-part TV miniseries for ABC. While opinions on the quality of the overall miniseries vary, one aspect most agree on is that Tim Curry’s performance as Pennywise was excellent, with the veteran actor managing to turn on a dime from over-the-top joker to bone-chilling monster.

Curry’s Pennywise has become Internet shorthand for the very concept of a scary clown, and it’s arguably his most iconic role of all-time, depending on one’s opinion of Curry’s work in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Oddly enough though, Curry has never really publicly discussed what it was like to play Pennywise, or his experience making IT as a whole. Thankfully, that’s all about to change, as Bloody Disgusting reports that Curry is set to participate in Pennywise: The Story of IT, an upcoming feature-length documentary looking at the creation of the miniseries.

The documentary is being produced by the UK’s Dead Mouse Productions, who’ve previously produced feature-length retrospective docs about fellow horror flicks Hellraiser and Fright Night. Despite IT (1990)’s high-profile status in recent history, this will be the first time an extensive behind-the-scenes feature has been made concerning the miniseries, outside of an audio commentary track on the DVD and Blu-ray release. That track featured director Tommy Lee Wallace and a few scattered cast members, but did not include comments from Curry.

It’s unclear at the moment just how many other members of the IT (1990) cast and crew will end up appearing in Pennywise: The Story of IT, but Curry is obviously the biggest get one could ask for, and one assumes that him coming aboard will be followed by most of the other important players. Dead Mouse’s other horror documentaries have been quite extensive, so it’s likely that they’ll attempt to get interviews with just about everyone. Between this and Muschetti’s movie adaptation, it’s shaping up to be a great year for IT devotees.

[mae]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93Mi0qnH3Js

[CyberGhostface]

For some reason they're not accepting Discover. I've sent messages but I haven't received any replies. If anyone would be willing to purchase a Blu-ray perk for me and have it sent to my address I can Paypal you the money.

[mae]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuBn9FRuFcI

[CyberGhostface]

I'm sure this will be good but that trailer was NOT the way to sell it. Why they had that blonde woman singing (is she even related to the film?) as opposed to showing off Tim Curry and the other actors is beyond me.

[St. Troy]

Perhaps this has already been posted, but I haven't seen it around, so:

http://frightmareinthefalls.com/it-the-miniseries-exhibit-will-haunt-you/

[Father Cody]

Cool. Hadn’t heard of it.

[mae]

https://bloody-disgusting.com/home-video/3509645/blu-ray-art-upcoming-doc-pennywise-story-absolutely-glorious/

In the Fall of 1990, 27 years(!) before his arrival on the big screen, Pennywise was unleashed on television audiences with a mini-series adaptation of Stephen King’s IT, and the upcoming documentary Pennywise: The Story of IT will be diving deep into the sewers of Derry to tell the true stories behind the clown that terrified a generation.

The doc is coming soon, and the incredible Blu-ray art has been revealed today!

With over 50 interviews with cast & crew as well as over 700 never-before-seen photos from the production, the fan funded documentary from director Chris Griffiths aims to “tell a story heard by few and showcase a wealth of behind-the-scenes footage and photos seen by even fewer.”

From exploring the historical and cultural phenomenon of coulrophobia (the fear of clowns) to Tim Curry’s magical portrayal of Pennywise the Clown to the impact Vancouver (aka “Hollywood North”) had on the 1990 made-for-TV miniseries, The Story of IT will dig deeper into the Pennywise phenomenon than anything ever has before.

Be sure to follow Pennywise: The Story of IT on Facebook for regular updates.

https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/37028717_506056293181733_6421039900669247488_n.jpg ?_nc_cat=0&oh=f4a9e1e6f690229e5e16284d11a3f91a&oe=5BDE5696

[CyberGhostface]

Love love love that art, already ordered the t-shirt from teevillain.

[Bev Vincent]

Watch the 6-Minute Extended Trailer for Documentary ‘Pennywise: The Story of IT (https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3547974/video-watch-6-minute-extended-trailer-documentary-pennywise-story/)

[mae]

Here it is:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uONgK8_vu0

[Heather19]

Looks good!

[Merlin1958]

Pretty cool stuff. thx 4 posting.

[CyberGhostface]

Looks great. Love that the miniseries is getting its due.

[CyberGhostface]

https://variety.com/2021/film/markets-festivals/pennywise-documentary-tim-curry-1235077158/

The documentary will receive its world premiere on Oct. 15 at The Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia.

[St. Troy]

Awesome.

[georgiesarm]

Did anyone else pledge for a bluray copy on their crowdfunding? I'm reading now on their Indiegogo (in rather broken English) that they will only have physical copies made if they can get a distribution deal, even though I already paid for a physical copy. Isn't this kinda heinous?


Once a distribution deal is made we will have funding to make for physical copies are reality.

[CyberGhostface]

I can't think of any scenario where they would go "Well, we can't find distribution, sorry everyone". They've already crowdfunded and successfully released other documentaries in the past.

[georgiesarm]

True, but this one took 3 years longer than initially planned, so they may have gone way over budget. And their own words say they will only be able to press blu rays if they find someone to invest in the distribution

[CyberGhostface]

They didn't go over budget. They've been giving updates, they lost ten months of time due to the covid lockdown among other issues.

[CharlotteW]

Masterclass!
This must be cool

[herbertwest]

This summer, on Screambox :
https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3704254/pennywise-the-story-of-it-screambox-original-documentary-coming-this-summer/

[CyberGhostface]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czdap4pM0kg

Pennywise: The Story of IT will open in select theaters beginning July 8 before releasing on VOD and Screambox on July 26.

[Merlin1958]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czdap4pM0kg

Pennywise: The Story of IT will open in select theaters beginning July 8 before releasing on VOD and Screambox on July 26.

Very cool :clap:

[mattgreenbean]

So Bluray in 2023. Hopefully...

[herbertwest]

Watched it last night and I thought it was pretty good!

It will be available next week, exclusively at Screambox TV with a 30 day free trial !

[CyberGhostface]

New clip:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4YjoUE999k

[CyberGhostface]

Some new photos from behind the scenes of the miniseries.

https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3724952/pennywise-the-story-of-it-check-out-these-rare-behind-the-scenes-photos-from-it-1990/

[Bev Vincent]

Also available on Amazon Prime for $5 -- I really enjoyed this. The interviews were entertaining and enlightening, and the behind-the-scenes / making-of material is terrific.

[CyberGhostface]

The producer wrote the following about delays and the Blu-ray release on indiegogo.


We know this documentary took a long time to create, in 2016 documentaries on an independent level were a completely different beast. You could make a documentary independently and release independently on Blu-ray. That changed. Documentaries now have to have licensing, insurances and fair use assessments.

In 2016 we initially raised £30,000, take away the campaign fees that worked out to around £26,000. That £26,000 was used for the production and filming. Production lasted around 18 months due to a number of interviewees not being available at the time of our original shoot or not being in the area we were shooting. We therefore had to then arrange later interviews as well as outsourcing to other crews.

Our company then infested a further £40,000 in the production. That was not through crowdfunding it was through our own company money. After Covid we engaged an additional, industry professional post production team to support with the grading, green screen, animations and sound mix. As the documentary was being released officially, all of above had to be quality assured for the release. This is an additional cost. Also this meant that the whole process took longer than expected.

Amongst all this, we had people stating that we were con artists, we are taking peoples money and not using it for the production. This was all despite us having a trailer released and publishing over 100 photographs of the 40+ cast and crew being interviewed.

We were then fortunate enough to engage with Sreambox who have been extremely supportive and have actually been fantastic in ensuring this documentary was completed. They supported with the post production and distribution. The total cost of this project has cost in total $150,000. I’m not stating this to get any sympathy, I’m stating it to show that a project like this is expensive and that it far out reached what we originally thought the cost would be. That is entirely our fault. Maybe we bit off more than we could chew. We based the whole production on the success of Brewster and Leviathan, two completely different projects.

We have never given up in getting this project completed, we have worked tirelessly to ensure that it is the best it can be. At a financial cost to ourselves. It would’ve been so easy just to stop and move on. However, we always wanted this project out there, it is a passion project for us and a dedication to Tim and the fans of the original TV series. We are not heroes, we don’t want a pat on the back, but we have never given up getting this thing finished. The downside to any distribution deal is we are tied to a contract. The streaming had to come first. We have fought to have a Blu-ray release, that release will be sent to the pledgees who pledged for that perk. As soon as the Blu-ray is available and in our hands it will be shipped.

Comments have been made about the length of the documentary. Leviathan was seven hours, and on reflection when we look back, Leviathan is too long and repetitive, it is not a good example of filmmaking. Hence why a producers cut of Leviathan was released two years after at 2 1/2 hours. Brewster was three hours, this was because it was two documentaries put together.

Pennywise could easily have been six hours, we had over 30 hours of material. But just because you have 30 hours of material that does not mean that material is needed or is interesting. Pennywise runs at two hours, that makes the documentary succinct, has pace and is not repetitive or boring. We have a further hour of bonus features. These features are all new material that is not included in the main Doc. These bonus features will be featured on the Blu-ray.

We have been working on an online screener for those who paid for the Blu-ray/DVD perk.. This has been made difficult due to legal complications. We’ve had to renegotiate our contract so we can actually show a screener ourselves online. There would've been nothing prouder for me then to show you the online screening introduced by myself a couple of weeks ago. It's just couldn't happen. It will happen soon.

I completely understand that this update will result in comments from those who are frustrated, irritated and annoyed. Those that will state that they just want to see the documentary and have their perks and don’t really care about the journey we have been on. Every decision we have made as always come back to the original campaign and those that supported us. We genuinely appreciate the support you have given us in ensuring that this project was made. Your names are all featured on the credits of the documentary as a thank you, your contributions however big or small made a huge difference to us.

I can only apologise for the delays, apologise that the streaming came first, and apologise that your Blu-rays aren’t in your hands at the moment. But please note, every day I am personally working on getting those perks into your hands. There is no reason why I’d want this to be delayed any further from a personal or business point of view.

Again thank you, I will continue to update you as much as I can. And as soon as the Blu-ray announcement is made you will be the first to know.

Gary Smart, producer

[mae]

https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=31261

British label Kaleidoscope Entertainment plans to bring to Blu-ray John Campopiano and Chris Griffiths' documentary Pennywise: The Story of IT (2022). The release is scheduled to arrive on the market on October 24.

Official description: This in-depth look at the 1990 mini-series based on Stephen King's iconic novel features interviews with many of the cult classic's key players, including director Tommy Lee Wallace and cast members Seth Green, Richard Thomas, and Tim Curry, who portrayed the notorious monster clown, Pennywise.

Featuring interviews with many of the cult classic's key players, including director Tommy Lee Wallace and cast members Tim Curry, Seth Green, and Richard Thomas, plus over fifty further cast and crew interviews and 700+ never-seen-before production photos.

Special Features:

The Extras of IT (10 mins)
The Legacy Continues (9 mins)
A Deeper Look at the Music (11 mins)
The Book Cover (5 mins)
Childhood Phobias (13 mins)

[CyberGhostface]

The US Blu-ray release is coming out November 22.

https://bloody-disgusting.com/home-video/3733743/screamboxs-pennywise-the-story-of-it-scares-up-a-collectors-edition-blu-ray-on-november-22nd/

[CyberGhostface]

Indiegogo backers are getting an exclusive slipcover.

https://abload.de/img/314401815_13622784476q0dut.jpg

https://abload.de/img/314930235_17440420858r1f2p.jpg

(To be honest I'm more of a fan of the "Cracked Pennywise" artwork but it's still neat.)