Pennywise has definitely established his reputation as being one of the most menacing, powerful monsters in the history of horror movies. The antagonist of both of Andy Muscietti’s IT films, Pennywise is not your typical movie monster, and that’s what makes him so terrifying.
Rather than just existing to terrify and ultimately kill the residents of Derry, Maine, Pennywise had the entire sleepy town in his grips for the entirety of the story. The adult citizens were under his influence so that the children are easy victims, and this is portrayed subtly, but it’s definitely an underrated, absolutely creepy element of both IT films.
Pennywise has several different faces – literally – as he can shapeshift into any kind of horrifying monster that the human mind can comprehend. Pennywise’s terrifying disguises were a major part of both films. Let’s take a look at some of the most iconic ones and which disguise falls under your MBTI alignment.
PAUL BUNYAN STATUE – ENTP (THE VISIONARY)
In a flashback sequence featured in It Chapter 2, Richie has a humiliating experience at the arcade while playing Street Fighter with a boy he presumably has a crush on. Turns out, the boy is actually a cousin of notorious bully Henry Bowers, who quickly starts berating Richie.
Richie makes a dash from the arcade, but his struggles aren’t over yet, because Pennywise is never too far away. In a terrifying, visually stunning instance, the Derry Paul Bunyan statue comes to like and begins attacking Richie. Pennywise’s statue disguise was undeniably larger than life and without a doubt, very inspired, making it a good fit for the ENTP personality type.
WOMAN FROM THE PAINTING – INTJ (THE MASTERMIND)
One of the most terrifying moments from It Chapter 1 was Stanley’s unsettling encounter with the woman from the painting. As conveyed in the first film, Stanley was one of the more fearful members of the Losers’ Club, and one of his main fears was of a strange, disfigured woman in a painting that hung in his house.
Pennywise, of course, takes full advantage of this and brings the painted woman to life in a completely horrifying way. He torments Stan under the disguise of the disfigured woman, and her legacy lives on as one of the most terrifying monsters from the IT franchise. Being stoic and mysterious, the woman from the painting is likely an INTJ.
POMERANIAN -ISFJ (THE PROTECTOR)
One of Pennywise’s more deceiving and rather hilarious disguises appeared in It Chapter 2. When Richie and Eddie get trapped in a room in the barrens and see the infamous three doors in front of them, they attempt to outsmart Pennywise by opening the door that reads “very scary”. When that doesn’t exactly work out, Eddie and Richie go for “not scary at all” and unexpectedly find an adorable pomeranian waiting for them on the other side.
This scene is hilarious for many reasons, including the fact that Richie and Eddie are totally enthralled by the dog. But this means that they did not expect the dog to grow ten sizes and morph into a hideous monster courtesy of Pennywise. The pomeranian was a cunning disguise, best fitting into the ISFJ personality type.
MRS. KERSH – ISFP (THE COMPOSER)
Mrs. Kersh was easily Pennywise’s most elaborate disguise – as was the illusion of Beverly’s old apartment building as a whole. It’s possible that perhaps Mrs. Kersh was even a real person once, but the version Beverly encounters is pure Pennywise nightmare fuel.
Mrs. Kersh is scary because her true identity was not obvious at first. The scene unravels slowly, eerily, before Pennywise reveals his true colors and attacks Beverly as a giant, mutilated version of Mrs. Kersh. This disguise appeared to be gentle and low-key at first, best suiting the alignment of an ISFP.
FIREY BEVERLY – ISTP (THE CRAFTSPERSON)
Ben and Beverly’s relationship played a major role in the second film. Since their romance was being developed and they were realizing how much they meant to each other, Pennywise took their vulnerabilities and used it to his advantage.
In a flashback sequence, one of Pennywise’s more cunning, ominous illusions is explored. Ben revisits his old school as an adult and recalls a time when Pennywise came to him disguised as Beverly, and then turned into a firey, terrifying monster. This demon version of Beverly was cruel and insidious, most likely an ideal ISTP.
EDDIE’S LEPER – ESTJ (THE SUPERVISOR)
Eddie’s germaphobic tendencies are prevalent in both films. In It Chapter 2, it’s revealed that Eddie has not gotten over his neurotic fears, but rather, the fears have gotten a lot stronger and more ridiculous. Even after the death of his mother, Eddie promptly married her “incarnate” Myra, who further fed into his delusions and worries.
Pennywise took advantage of this by becoming what Eddie would refer to as “the Leper”. The disgusting, completely germ-ridden creature terrorized Eddie ceaselessly in the first film, and he came back for an encore in the second film as well. This disguise was hardworking and systematic, making it an ideal ESTJ.
PATRICK HOCKSTETTER’S CORPSE – ESFJ (THE PROVIDER)
Patrick Hoffstetter was a minor antagonist in It Chapter 1, and he met an unfortunate fate at the end of the film. But he came back for more in Chapter 2 when Pennywise recruited Bowers to terrorized the Losers’ Club. Patrick – a decomposed corpse – acted at Henry’s guide and compass, even driving him around to different destinations.
Alive, Patrick was a bad guy, but Pennywise’s rendition of him was completely unsettling. Patrick’s corpse was an ESFJ because his entire focus was to guide and provide for Henry Bowers.
STAN’S SPIDER HEAD – ESFP (THE PERFORMER)
Stan took his own life before the Losers’ Club officially reunited in Derry, and although his intentions were actually quite noble, this arc just gave Pennywise much more material to work within terrorizing the surviving Losers.
Most notably, in It Chapter 2, Pennywise masquerades as Stan’s severed head. This is easily the most memorable scene in the film, as it is completely insane. Stan – moreover, the child version of Stan – greets the grown-up Losers’ in Pennywise’s house. His head tumbles out of the fridge and promptly takes the form of a hybrid spider, chasing the characters around the house. The was undoubtedly a performance on Pennywise’s part, making Stan’s spider head a perfect ESFP.
THE DERANGED MAN – ENTJ (THE COMMANDER)
What’s eerier than Pennywise in clown form, is Pennywise in human form, and that is something we get to see in It Chapter 2. Pennywise appears to Beverly as the closest thing to human as he can probably get, and it’s easily one of the most disturbing moments in the entire franchise.
Pennywise’s deranged man form is completely creepy and appears to be all-powerful as well as strategic and quick-witted. Because of this, he is probably an ENTJ.
PENNYWISE THE DANCING CLOWN – ESTP (THE DYNAMO)
Since Pennywise is actual an entity and not any earthly being from our dimension, his entire persona of Pennywise is not technically real, it’s just the form he takes because it’s the closest thing to what he truly is that the human mind can comprehend.
As the films say, Pennywise is not a “him” but an “it’, an otherworldly monster that is powerful beyond relief. As for the disguise of Pennywise the Dancing Clown, he is an energetic thrillseeker best suited for the ESTP personality type.
