A mysterious prankster tied red balloons to sewer grates to promote the new “It” movie

Lititz Borough Police Department/Facebook/Screenshot

A Pennsylvania police department is asking a “local prankster” to stop tying red, helium-filled balloons to storm grates, with the incredibly unsettling sight drawing obvious comparisons to the upcoming horror movie, “It.”

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“We give points for creativity,” the police department wrote, “however, we want the local prankster to know that we were completely terrified as we removed these balloons from the grates, and we respectfully request they do not do that again.”

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The red balloon is the calling card of Pennywise, the sewer-dwelling, child-eating clown in Stephen King’s horror novel “It.” The book was adapted into a two-part miniseries in 1990, but the highly anticipated movie version opens in theaters Friday, Sept. 8.

Police also suggest people watch previews of the movie with the lights turned on and the volume turned low. The post ends with a famous line from the book: “You’ll float too.”

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