Pennywise “wakes up” because it follows a cyclical pattern of feeding and hibernation, not because of a single specific event like a normal person waking from sleep.
Feeding cycle
Pennywise is an ancient cosmic entity that periodically awakens in Derry, Maine, to feed on human fear, mainly that of children. After roughly a year or two of terror and killing, it has eaten enough and then goes back into a deep hibernation underground.
Why it wakes up
This creature’s “wake‑up” is tied to its natural 27‑year feeding cycle and the buildup of fear and violence in Derry. When the cycle resets—often signaled by some especially brutal or hateful act, like Adrian Mellon’s murder in the novel/films—it stirs, fully awakens, and begins hunting again.
