Coulrophobia sufferers had some new nightmare fuel this weekend, as the film adaptation of Stephen King's It hit screens—and the Alamo Drafthouse eagerly offered clown-only showings. On Saturday in downtown Brooklyn, dozens of people put on white make-up, red noses and wigs to channel Pennywise.
One attendee, Jared, 32, said he had a legitimate fear of clowns since he was a child, detailing how he had to be taken out of school for Halloween because he couldn't handle others dressed as clowns. However, he was dressed in Pennywise (from the 1990 ABC mini-series) costume and mask, proving that maybe you can overcome your challenges with a sense of humor.
Others riffed on the clown theme by dressing as a David Bowie-meets-Ronald McDonald with a dash of Jem (from Jem and the Holograms) or as Zach Galifianakis's Chip Baskets. For those who didn't slap on clown face, the Alamo supplied wigs, noses and makeup near the entrance (a few people did opt out), but most everyone was showing their real Bozo spirit.
The critically acclaimed It has apparently smashed movie records with a $117 million opening weekend. The film does have an 86% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so we guess Hollywood is right in thinking that the movie ratings aggregator is ruining the business, versus an over-reliance on sequels and terrible movies.
Reporting by Sai Mokhtari
