It's a clown-off! Welcome to WatchMojo, and in this installment of versus it’s a clash of the clowns as we pit Art of the “Terrifier” franchise, Bill Skarsgård’s portrayal of Pennywise, and Arthur ‘Joker’ Fleck against each other.
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00:00This video is brought to you by Terrifier 3.
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00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and in this installment of Versus, it's a clash of the clowns as we
00:17pit art of the Terrifier franchise, Bill Skarsgård's portrayal of Pennywise and Arthur, Joker Fleck
00:22against each other.
00:23You're awful, Murray.
00:24Me?
00:25I'm awful?
00:26Oh yeah, how am I awful?
00:27Round one, Fear Factor.
00:33Whereas his competitors have been ingrained in pop culture for decades, Art is a modern
00:38horror icon.
00:39Look at your boyfriend.
00:40I told you this a week ago, we'll go to your mother's, I don't know, six weeks from now.
00:46Originally portrayed by Mike Giannulli before David Howard Thornton made the role his own,
00:50Art broke out just as the scary clown trend took off.
00:53While Art could have blended in with a circus of others, Damian Leone's creation stood out
00:58with a design that wouldn't feel out of place in a black and white silent picture.
01:01Oh my God, you're never going to believe what I just heard on the radio.
01:08A lack of color makes two elements stand out, Art's ghastly teeth and the blood splattering
01:13on his ensemble.
01:15Whereas some slashers make it quick, Art savors every kill, ensuring victims suffer to the
01:20bitter end.
01:22Although Art's torture methods are practical, the character possesses a supernatural element
01:26that makes him seemingly unstoppable.
01:35Four years after Pennywise debuted in Stephen King's novel It, Tim Curry scared a generation
01:40of kids as the Dancing Clown.
01:41I'll kill you all.
01:42I'll drive you crazy and I'll kill you all.
01:43I'm every nightmare you ever had.
01:44I am your worst dream come true.
01:54Yet Curry's take was child's play compared to Bill Skarsgård's portrayal.
01:58The titular It refers to an alien that can take on any form, tapping into every victim's
02:04fears.
02:05It usually appears as Pennywise, who's hard to top in the scare department.
02:17As terrifying as this form is, you can see why naive young children might be drawn to
02:22Pennywise with his goofy voice and wide smile.
02:25Skarsgård's performance is reminiscent of a predator who lures kids in with promises
02:29of fun times before showing their true colors.
02:32While Pennywise is a supernatural entity, these real-world parallels are where the
02:37true terror stems from.
02:45Solidifying himself as an immortal supervillain in the 40s, the Joker has since seen numerous
02:51iterations across media.
03:00More recent depictions have leaned into realism, with Joaquin Phoenix molding Arthur Fleck
03:04into a Joker who could believably exist in our world.
03:08His clown makeup even resembles John Wayne Gacy Jr.'s.
03:11Fleck's aptitude for instigating riots has only grown more relevant since the release
03:16of Todd Phillips' film.
03:21Some might argue that Arthur is a victim of society and untreated mental health issues.
03:26Others may say Arthur was always bound to venture down a dark path, regardless of his
03:30environment.
03:31Either way, it's frightening to think that somebody like Arthur could snap at any time,
03:36looking over the chaos he's created with a laugh.
03:44We wouldn't want to encounter any of these clowns in a dark hallway or sewer drain.
03:49Pennywise's shapeshifting abilities offer the widest variety of scares, though, giving
03:53him an edge over Art and Joker.
03:56Point goes to Pennywise.
03:58Winner, Pennywise.
04:00Round 2.
04:01Character Complexities
04:02On the surface, Art seems like a simple character.
04:05He solely communicates non-verbally, and doesn't have layered reasons for inflicting such brutal
04:10punishment.
04:15Digging deeper into his mythology, though, you'll find that Art is no ordinary killer
04:19clown.
04:20He's essentially a demonic force who can't be kept down.
04:23Even when stopped dead in his tracks, he always finds a way back.
04:30While most victims are at the wrong place at the wrong time, some appear to be hand-picked,
04:35as if their destinies were intertwined with Art's.
04:38Art sees things that not everyone else can, and finds humor where most people only see
04:42agony.
04:43Much about the character remains draped in mystery, which only makes his antics more
04:48fascinating to observe.
04:53Like Art, Pennywise is simple on the surface, but there's much to unpack.
04:58Stephen King's novel provides the most thorough overview, establishing It as a trans-dimensional
05:03creature that arrived on Earth millions of years ago.
05:17Feeding upon fear and the blood of innocents, It couldn't thrive without humans to prey
05:22on.
05:23That said, Its actions go beyond self-preservation.
05:26Why else would It primarily materialize as a clown?
05:29To attract children, yes, but to also reflect the joy It gets from scaring the lives out
05:34of people.
05:43Pennywise is the form that comes most naturally to It, which has no remorse for the atrocities
05:48that Derry endures.
05:49Pain and suffering are a joke.
05:51It's backstory may be convoluted, but It's embodiment of evil speaks a universal language.
06:01Many versions of the Joker have kept his origins ambiguous.
06:08Todd Phillips goes into greater detail, revealing the social issues and mental health struggles
06:13that drove Arthur Fleck to shoot people while wearing clown makeup.
06:16At the same time, Arthur is anything but an open book.
06:20The audience is often left guessing what's real and what's all in Arthur's warped
06:23mind, although we never doubt he's deadly.
06:38While we may condemn Arthur's violent actions, we'd be lying if we said the character didn't
06:42resonate with our inner rebel, especially during times of social unrest.
06:47Even if he didn't set out to be a symbol, Arthur forces people to look in the mirror
06:50and ask, how far away are we from becoming a society of Jokers?
07:04The Joker is the most human of these three, adding to his complexities.
07:08Whereas Art and Pennywise are exclusively merchants of fear, the Joker is an inspirational
07:13figure to some, which makes him even more dangerous.
07:16Whether the Joker is a product of his surroundings or his surroundings are a product of his mayhem,
07:21this clown gives us much to think about, making him this round's victor.
07:26Winner, Joker.
07:27Round 3, The Most Comedic Clown.
07:30David Howard Thornton described Art as Freddy Krueger meets Harpo Marx, the latter of whom
07:35specialized in pantomime.
07:37Some might argue that mimes aren't funny.
07:48To that, Art would say, well, nothing, although he'd respond by defecating all over your bathroom
07:54before gutting you like raw meat.
07:55It's his idea of a joke.
07:57Art's sense of humor is as twisted as it gets.
08:00Even if he takes his time with the setups, Art guarantees that you will not forget the
08:04punchline.
08:12The joke may be on his poor victims, but seeing that grin creep up on his face, it's hard
08:17for the viewer not to smile with him.
08:19Art adores what he does, and such love for one's craft is infectious, no matter how
08:24inhumane.
08:30Skarsgård may be the scarier Pennywise, although most would agree that comedy came more naturally
08:35to Tim Curry.
08:42That's not to say Skarsgård's Pennywise is not without his funny moments.
08:45In addition to tormenting kids, Pennywise gets a kick out of teasing them.
08:49An encounter with Pennywise is a bit like a knock-knock joke.
08:52Whether or not you play along, the punchline is sure to be painful.
09:06Even if Pennywise is lighter on the laughs, there's a theatricality to everything it
09:11does.
09:12Each scare is an elaborate production, and Pennywise is gonna put on one hell of a show.
09:17Plus, anyone with a smile like that understands the value of a good chuckle, especially if
09:22it hurts.
09:29As different as Arthur Fleck is from other versions of the character, he maintains what
09:34the Joker has always been, a failed comedian.
09:42Few others than the Joker understand his demented sense of humor.
09:46Regardless, the Joker won't stop trying to make people laugh, even if it kills them.
09:51Often times, death is part of the joke.
10:04Whereas his predecessors utilized props like hand buzzers and pencils, Arthur leans more
10:09into cringe comedy, with depressing observations about life and downright tasteless comments.
10:15Imagine Andy Kaufman if he went down a seriously messed up path.
10:19Arthur has always been a joke in the eyes of others.
10:21Arthur gets the last laugh, turning the tables with society's downfall becoming the ultimate
10:27joke.
10:35Pennywise prioritizes scares, while the Joker's life is arguably more tragedy than comedy.
10:41Art, meanwhile, is equal parts killer and clown.
10:44His comedy ranges from pantomime, to shock humor, to straight up trolling his victims.
10:49He may be silent, but Art is forever laughing on the inside.
10:53He's the king of clowning around.
10:55Winner, Art the Clown.
10:57Round four.
10:58Um, we couldn't think of a fourth round.
11:01Seriously?
11:02We only came up with three rounds and it's all tied up?
11:04Is this some kind of sick joke?
11:05Well, given the subject matter, maybe this is the natural punchline.
11:14For those who aren't satisfied with a three way tie, let's continue this conversation
11:18in the comments.
11:19We want to know who you prefer, Art, Pennywise, or the Joker.
11:22Who's scarier?
11:23Who's funnier?
11:24And who's the better dancer?
11:25Let us know.
11:26And check out Terrifier 3 in theaters on October 11th, 2024.
11:35This video is brought to you by Terrifier 3.
11:37Tickets now.