New 'It' Photos: Pennywise Meets The Losers Club

I'm about 50 pages away from finishing Stephen King's 1986 novel It, and holy crap, this book is tremendous. Without hyperbole, it's one of the best books I've ever read. Rarely have I read a novel in which I've felt so firmly in the grip of a master storyteller – and I wasn't crazy about the first Dark Tower book, so that praise isn't coming from a fawning King devotee, either.

We've already seen a handful of photos from the upcoming film adaptation directed by Andres Muschietti, but a new batch of photos show off glimpses of the terrifying clown Pennywise (the "It" of the title) and our first look at the Losers Club, the group of outcast kids in Derry, Maine who come face to face with their worst nightmare.

The book cross-cuts between a group of kids in the 1950s and the same group as adults in the 1980s, recounting their encounters with an evil being that preys on the fears of its victims by shapeshifting into their worst nightmares. "It's established that Pennywise takes the shape of your worst fear," Muschietti tells USA Today. "He doesn't have a steady behavior, he doesn't expose how he thinks, and that's what makes him really unpredictable." It's fair to say this thing has no chill.

The outlet has three new photos from the film, which moves the action to the late 1980s and follows the group as children. A second film is supposed in the works, following the older versions of the characters and taking place in modern day, but that version hasn't received an official greenlight yet. Muschietti (who is reportedly on board to direct the second installment) says there are hints in this movie "that make you think about what will happen 30 years later when Pennywise comes again." So he sounds confident that he'll get the chance to complete the tale.

Let's break down these new images:

That's Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the Clown, the film's scary-as-hell antagonist. He lures kids into the sewers with red balloons and promises of candy before ripping off body parts with his claw-like teeth. Pretty gnarly stuff.

Here's our first good look at the Losers Club. From left to right, there's neat freak Stan Uris (Wyatt Oleff), motormouth Richie Tozier (Finn Wolfhard, of Stranger Things fame), history buff Mike Hanlon (Chosen Jacobs), stuttering Bill Denbrough (Jaeden Lieberher), tomboy Beverly Marsh (Sophia Lillis), and overweight Ben Hanscom (Jeremy Ray Taylor). All we're missing is the nervous and nebbish Eddie Kaspbrak (Jack Dylan Grazer).

The book doesn't contain a scene in which these characters gather around a slide projector, but based on the looks on their faces, I have a guess as to what this scene might be depicting. The story begins with Bill Denbrough's younger brother being murdered by It; later, when Bill goes through his brother's photo album, he sees It in the background of one of the pictures and the photo comes alive. This looks like the part of the story in which Bill shows that spooky effect to his friends.

And finally, here's the creepy, gloved hand of Pennywise as the Losers cower in the background. This shot almost certainly takes place at 29 Neibolt Street, an abandoned house where the kids encounter It in the book. The dark glow, dusty vibe, and debris on the floor here seem like a lock for that location.

It slinks into theaters on September 8, 2017. I'm going to go finish reading the book right freaking now.