Stephen King says chilling real-life experience inspired IT's Pennywise

Stephen King's spine-chilling novel IT has seen numerous adaptations over the years. What all of them have in common, however, is the way they follow the character of Pennywise, the terrifying clown. King began writing the creepy novel in September 1981 and finished it in December 1985, as he shares with readers at the end of the book. However, fans may be unaware that a 'creepy' encounter with a real-life clown inspired King to create the character. Ever since its publication, fans have been intrigued about what could have inspired King to create such a horrifying character like Pennywise . Some have speculated that the infamous serial killer and sex offender John Wayne Gacy , known for his clown persona and sentenced to death in 1980, might have been the real-life inspiration behind the fictional villain. However, King has never confirmed this theory. Instead, he has voiced his own views on clowns and their 'terrifying' appearances which often frighten children . After writing The Stand, King was crossing a bridge in Colorado when he imagined a troll akin to the one from the children's story Three Billy Goats Gruff, but living in a sewer system rather than under a bridge. He explained that the entire narrative "just bounced" into his mind, especially the idea that 'It' could shapeshift - often into a clown, a figure that even King finds terrifying. In a 2005 appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien , King shared his own childhood fear of clowns which helped create the idea of Pennywise. "Let's talk about it, because you were one of the first people who had the idea that a clown could be a scary figure," Conan said, referring to Stephen's hit book IT, which has later been adapted into films. "Did you find clowns scary when you were a kid?" Conan asked the horror author. King recalled his unsettling experience at the circus as a child, where he saw a dozen adults with pale white faces and 'blood red' lips painted on, before quipping: "What's not to like?" When asked if he'd had a personal encounter with a clown that left him frightened, the author recounted a 'creepy' incident involving a clown on a plane. While returning from Cleveland, Ohio - the last stop on his first major book tour - an unexpected passenger boarded the plane just as it was preparing for departure. "The door opens again and Ronald McDonald gets on the airplane," King remembered. "He's fully dressed [as a clown], sits down next to me, because I attract weirdness, you know? I'm like a weirdness magnet. "And I was so weirded out by that point, that I wasn't even surprised. Here he is, orange hair, orange shoes, the whole nine yards. He sits down next to me. Plane takes off, no smoking lights goes off, he pulls out a pack of kents [cigarettes], lights up." He then continued, recalling how the clown had ordered a gin and tonic, leading him to think: "And you think, what if this plane crashes? I'm gonna die next to a clown."