Creepy Clown Balloons Appear in Meridian

Fans of the original "IT" mini-series may have been bit frightened by the single red balloon floating above a storm drain.

Litiz, Pennsylvania made headlines this week after some teen pranksters tried to the transform their town into Derry, Maine.  Taking a page straight out of Stephen King's horror novel "IT," the teens tied single helium filled red balloons to sewer grates around town.  While the local police department had a good sense of humor about it, giving the pranksters points for creativity they politely asked that people do not try the prank again.

If you're in the dark about the significance of the single balloon (don't worry, I was too...I just watched the original "IT" mini-series two days ago,)  it's a representation of a demon who most often takes shape in the form of a killer clown named Pennywise.  Pennywise used balloons to lure children into a false sense of security.

The pranks have begun because a new big screen adaptation of the novel hits theaters late this evening.

It's Happening Here Too

If you though the Treasure Valley was safe from people with similar twisted humor, you're very wrong.  While standing in line, waiting for my breakfast burrito today I saw a tweet from Channel 2 saying the red balloons are popping up in the Treasure Valley.

This slightly deflated balloon was tied to a storm drain at The Village at Meridian on Wednesday.  When I told Jeff Connell the story, he said he saw one similar at the corner of Milwaukee and Fairview last night.

Is the new "IT" movie scarier than the originals?

Like I mentioned, I never saw the original "IT" mini-series until this week and I didn't find it particularly terrifying.  My fiance claims it's because I'm "dead inside." (He's scared of everything and the last movie I remember actually being scared of is "The Ring.") He'd seen it as a kid, knew when every scare was coming and still freaked out while we watched it.  Although I didn't find the season premiere of American Horror Story: Cult all that scary either, I'm willing to say that Twisty's return and the new cult of clowns this season are a little more unnerving than "IT."

Our friends at ScreenCrush gave the new version an 8/10 rating saying it's scary good and surprisingly funny. In their review they say that Bill Skarsgard (who's playing Pennywise) doesn't try to top Tim Curry's original performance of the character.  Instead he reinvents it in a manner similar to what Heath Ledger did to the Joker.

You be the judge if it's scarier or not.  Here's the trailer for the new version out in theaters this weekend.