Today night marks the unofficial opening night of director Andres Muschietti's feature adaptation of (part 1) of STEPHEN KING'S IT. While most of us will be traveling to the theater (thank the Jesus) without clowns crowding the entrances, patrons to one theater in Canada are going to get a hell of a surprise when they pull up to the curb tonight.
The Thunder Bay Clown Club will be gathering outside of the town's theater to protest the killer, child-eating Pennywise the team behind IT has put upon the screen. Dianne McNicol (aka Dottie The Clown) told VICE the group will be out front handing out pamphlets "denouncing the negative view of clowns" and that the gathering "really isn't a rally or a protest per se", but more of an "information session."
Yeah. Right. That's how they get you.
Dianne McNicol on the "information session":
We feel that this has done great harm in the business of clowning and for clowns. A number of clown clubs have actually folded due to the negativity surrounding it. You need to remember that clowns are people too.
The financial blow to the clowning industry has already happened. When I meet my American clown friends, they tell me that business has dropped, people won't invite them to parties, they don't get invited to events anymore.
It's definitely has hurt the business aspect for people that use it as a business.
All of this hurts us because we do such good in the community, but we embrace it, we understand what's happening. That's what we want to give this information and say: 'Don't promote It, don't go out on Halloween and dress your kids as scary clowns, don't perpetuate the idea of evil clowning.'
Thunder Bay Clown Club President Dan "Daffy" Baxter adds:
… our purpose is to provide theatre-goers with leaflets about the differences between professional clowns and clowns depicted as monsters and villains in film and media.
This is all well and good, and sure this group of clowns have my sympathies, but I'll tell you one thing; if my ass drove up to the theater tonight to see a gaggle of f*cking clowns standing around outside, I would drive, screaming away until I ran out of gas and breathe. But maybe that's just me.
What do you think of clowns "protesting" the release of IT? What the everliving hell would YOU do if you saw a gathering of clowns outside your screening? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram!
IT opens in select theaters tonight and official hits nationwide tomorrow.
