Must-Watch Horror Films and Series for Fans of Stephen King's 'It'

Stephen King's extensive novel 'It' masterfully weaves together many classic horror tropes and scenes. Here, we highlight these elements and recommend additional films and series that fans of 'It' will find captivating.

Published in 1986, Stephen King's 'It' quickly became a bestseller. This sprawling two-volume novel, nearly 1,500 pages long, sold millions of copies within its first year and has since earned numerous literary accolades. It remains a staple on lists of both King's best works and top horror novels worldwide.

The first screen adaptation, a two-part TV movie released in 1990, also achieved tremendous success, becoming a beloved horror classic for millions.

The story of a group of friends confronting the terrifying clown Pennywise during their childhood and again 27 years later is familiar to many. Stephen King's skillful storytelling incorporates several standard yet deeply unsettling horror techniques that, combined, leave a lasting impression.

Children Against Evil

The first part of the novel centers on a group of children forming the "Losers' Club". These are ordinary, quiet schoolkids often bullied and marginalized by society. Yet, they become the ones who stand up against the evil force, largely because adults fail to believe in supernatural threats.

The motif of children confronting supernatural evil is a common theme in horror films. Unlike adults who rely on rationality, children genuinely believe in monsters in the closet or under the bed—sometimes, their fears may be justified.

Recommended Watch

Stranger Things

• Genres: Sci-fi, Drama, Horror, Thriller
• Country: USA, 2016
• Length: 1 season
• IMDb rating: 8.9

A breakout hit of recent television, this series follows a group of children searching for their missing friend who has been trapped in a parallel dimension. The story also features a girl with supernatural abilities, experimented on by a secret government agency.

Filled with homages to classic films from 'E.T.' to 'Alien', it delights fans of both sci-fi and horror.

The Killer Clown

One of the most iconic and terrifying symbols from the novel is the monster taking the form of the clown Pennywise. With his eerie appearance and balloons, he lures children to feed on their fear and suffering.

Stephen King's 'It' has significantly influenced the rise of coulrophobia—the fear of clowns. Real-life examples exist, such as John Wayne Gacy, a notorious serial killer who performed as "Pogo the Clown" and murdered over 30 people.

Coulrophobia is widespread though not officially classified as a mental disorder. The grotesque clown features—exaggerated eyes, mouth, oversized shoes, and white face paint—combined with unpredictable behavior and hidden identities, often trigger fear, especially in children.

Recommended Watch

American Horror Story: Freak Show

• Genres: Horror, Thriller, Drama
• Country: USA, 2011
• Length: 6 seasons
• IMDb rating: 8.2

While many clown-centric horror films are low-budget and more grotesque than scary, the fourth season of "American Horror Story" stands out. Set in a freak show circus, it features a disfigured clown who kidnaps and murders, delivering genuine chills.

Notably, the moment when the clown removes his mask evokes deep-seated childhood fears.

The show is an anthology, with seasons independent of each other, so viewers can start directly with season four.

Available on iTunes

Evil as a Place

Though Pennywise often appears as a sinister clown, the entity is actually a formless being that manifests as people's worst fears, feeding on their suffering. The novel even suggests that the town itself harbors this evil.

This concept of evil as an omnipresent force or location recurs in Stephen King's works and those of other horror masters like H.P. Lovecraft.

Rooted in ancient folklore, many cultures have 'forbidden places' where building homes was taboo, believing such sites were inhabited by malevolent spirits. For example, Slavic traditions avoided building on old roads or bathhouse sites, and nearly all cultures refrained from constructing homes atop former cemeteries.

Recommended Watch

In the Mouth of Madness

• Genres: Sci-fi, Horror
• Country: USA, 1995
• Duration: 95 minutes
• IMDb rating: 7.2

Insurance investigator John Trent searches for the missing horror author Sutter Cane, whose books cause readers to lose their minds and become violent. His journey leads him to a mysterious town not found on any map, inhabited by Cane and the terrifying characters from his novels.

Director John Carpenter's film pays homage to both Stephen King and H.P. Lovecraft, with the author's character and many monsters inspired by their works.

Available on iTunes and Google Play

The Shining

• Genres: Thriller, Horror
• Country: USA, 1980
• Duration: 143 minutes
• IMDb rating: 8.4

This legendary adaptation of Stephen King's novel follows writer Jack Torrance, who becomes the winter caretaker of an isolated hotel. He moves in with his wife and son, who possesses "the shining"—a mix of telepathy and telekinesis. The hotel, however, harbors ancient evil that preys on fears and drives people insane.

King himself disliked this version, feeling the director took liberties with the story. A closer TV adaptation was released in 1990 but failed to captivate audiences.

Available on iTunes and Google Play

The Monster in the Sewers

Pennywise's primary domain is the sewer system beneath the town. The clown kidnaps the protagonist's brother when his paper boat drifts into a storm drain. The heroes confront the monster in the sewers and fight back.

Sewers are a common lair for villains in horror films, serving as an eerie, unexplored underworld beneath cities. This setting allows monsters to move unseen and coexist with rats, worms, and other creatures.

Fear of sewers and drains is common, though not officially classified as a phobia. The unknown depths beyond a sink's drain can be unsettling.

Recommended Watch

Alligator

• Genre: Horror
• Country: USA, 1980
• Duration: 89 minutes
• IMDb rating: 5.9

This cult classic is based on urban legends about baby alligators flushed down toilets, which grow to monstrous sizes in the sewers. The film depicts a giant alligator feeding on mutated animals and eventually terrorizing the streets of Chicago.

Available on Google Play

The Insane Asylum

In the novel's first part, the protagonists are harassed by three bullies; two die, and the third ends up in a mental institution after confessing to multiple murders.

Mental hospitals are a staple setting in horror, often portrayed as centers of terror, evil, and mysticism rather than healing.

People with mental illnesses have long been feared due to their different perceptions of reality, fueling legends of supernatural events within psychiatric hospitals.

Recommended Watch

Gothika

• Genres: Thriller, Horror, Mystery
• Country: USA, 2003
• Duration: 98 minutes
• IMDb rating: 5.8

A psychiatrist working in a mental hospital becomes a patient herself, locked in a ward and accused of her husband's murder—a crime she cannot recall. As she seeks answers, she encounters unexplainable supernatural forces.

Available on iTunes and Google Play

Forgotten Childhood Fears

After the first part of the novel, the children grow up, move away, and live ordinary lives, gradually forgetting the traumatic events. Only years later, when the evil resurfaces and they reunite, do memories return.

Suppressing or altering frightening childhood memories is a common psychological coping mechanism called "lethe technique." Though many experts view it as ineffective since it hides rather than resolves phobias.

Recommended Watch

Oculus

• Genres: Supernatural, Thriller, Horror
• Country: USA, 2013
• Duration: 103 minutes
• IMDb rating: 6.5

Ten-year-old Tim kills his father, who went mad under the influence of a mysterious mirror. After years in a mental hospital, Tim convinces himself it was self-defense, but his sister believes the mirror is truly supernatural. She sets up cameras to document the strange occurrences, but can they withstand the illusions?

Available on iTunes and Google Play

Stephen King's 'It' (2017) Reimagined

On September 7th, 27 years after the original film's release, a new adaptation of 'It' premiered. The first installment focuses on the characters' childhoods and promises to be just as terrifying as the classic version, as evident from the trailers.

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