Spare a thought for the folks of Derry, Maine.
Not unlike the quaint town of Hawkins (see: Stranger Things), or any other location that has been terrorized by a demented killer – both human and otherwise – Derry’s population lives in a constant state of fear that spans generations, and it can all be traced back to Pennywise the Dancing Clown.
If you’re at all familiar with Stephen King’s source material, you’ll know that being to be a powerful, otherworldly force that stalks young children from the shadows. Able to manifest itself in a variety of different forms, It is a force to be reckoned with, and its reign of terror spurs The Losers Club into action as they set about breaking the Derry curse once and for all. All of this and more is teased up above, where you’ll find the latest promo for New Line and Andy Muschietti’s horror reboot. And let’s just say we hope you’re wearing the brown pants.
But as reported by Bloody Disgusting, there’s more to this sizzle reel than meets the eye. Fast forward to the 20-second marker and you’ll be able to see an admittedly blurry shot of the Leper crawling around in the sewers beneath Derry. Brought to life by renown creature performer Javier Botet, who’s collaborated with Muschietti on Mama, the Leper is a disfigured homeless man who appears to Eddie at 29 Neibolt Street. Unlike the It miniseries, which was solely dedicated to Tim Curry’s Pennywise, including the Leper is a neat way to maintain the scare factor without relying too much on Bill Skarsgard’s killer clown.
Bearing the title It Part 1 – The Losers Club in the hope that Andy Muschietti will be able to get the gang back together for a sequel – and at least based on the preliminary box office forecasts, the adaptation will get off to a flyer in two weeks’ time – New Line’s R-rated thrill ride is due to creep into theaters on September 8th. It’ll be unleashed upon select IMAX theaters, too.