If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.
A New Yorker received a full Pennywise the Clown makeover for Halloween on Friday from the makeup artists that bring the character to life on screen.
The villain from Stephen King’s novel “It” and star of HBO’s new prequel series “Welcome to Derry” appeared in New York after the participant got a complimentary, Hollywood-quality transformation at peak spooky season.
Manhattan pedestrians passing by on the street were able to watch the metamorphosis unfold through a window display on Grand Street in SoHo.
Pennywise’s white makeup, yellow eyes, prosthetic forehead, and orange hair were applied by the team that normally completes the look for actor Bill Skarsgard, who portrays the killer clown in the movies “It” and “It: Chapter Two” and the recently-released series “Welcome to Derry.”
That included the franchise’s special makeup effects designer Sean Sansom, key prosthetic makeup FX artist Shane Zander and hair department head Debra Jean Johnson.
Once hair and makeup were complete, Pennywise slipped into his familiar silver silk suit, grabbed his menacing red balloon and took to the streets to give New Yorkers a Halloween scare.
He was joined by a fellow participant who was transformed into the nun from “The Conjuring” and “The Nun” – courtesy of Eleanor Sabaduquia, the makeup department head for the two movies.
The duo then patrolled downtown Manhattan — walking sidewalks, exploring subways, entering sewers.
Kidding on the last one, that’s only in Derry.
But it certainly was a busy month in New York for Pennywise. He was represented in digital form at the “Welcome to Derry” immersive activation at New York Comic Con. There, fans were welcomed to face their fears inside a child’s 1960s-era bedroom, unsettled by the looming threat of Pennywise.
The clown again appeared in the area on Oct. 22 as part of HBO’s “Red Balloon takeover” global promotion that placed Pennywise in major cities across the world ahead of the series’ premiere episode. Pennywise made appearances at Central Park, Bryant Park, Washington Square Park and Jane’s Carousel in Dumbo.
He returned Friday in the shape of a civilian wearing a once-in-a-lifetime Halloween costume.
“We leaned into the idea of what makes ‘It’ so iconic in culture,” Alex Diamond, vice president of global originals marketing for HBO Max, said in October. “And, of course, with that it is Pennywise, the red balloon and fear. So, once we focused on those entities, it was helpful for us to narrow down and then ultimately bring these experiences to life.”
A couple of diehard Stephen King fans traveled from Brazil to Maine before getting engaged in front of the author’s house.
