UPDATE 4:08 PM ET 12/23/16: At the request of the studio, the Instagram embed of the unofficially released Pennywise image from "It" has been removed from this story.

Original story: Because nothing quite says the holidays like a photo of a terrifying clown, a new image has surfaced of Pennywise from "It" to make your last-minute travel or shopping that much more festive creepy.

Arriving courtesy of makeup effects artist Tom Woodruff Jr., the shot reveals actor Bill Skarsgård in full Pennywise mode, complete with what looks to be a vintage ruffled clown costume, and a red balloon.

[Image removed at request of Warner Bros.]

The New Line adaptation of Stephen King's 1986 horror novel tells the tale of a group of misfit children who come together one summer to confront the mysterious, shape-shifting monster that’s plagued their town, most frequently in the form of a clown named Pennywise. Previously adapted as a 1990 television miniseries starring Tim Curry, "It" will be split into two parts, with the first focusing on the children's first dealings with Pennywise, and the second the later encounter.

The film has been compared by producer Dan Lin to the Netflix summer hit "Stranger Things." “It’s very much an homage to ’80s movies, whether it’s classic Stephen King or even Spielberg," he said in August. "Think about ‘Stand by Me’ as far as the bonding amongst the kids. But there is a really scary element in Pennywise.”

Directed by Andres Muschietti (“Mama”), “It” stars Bill Skarsgård, Finn Wolfhard, Jaeden Lieberher, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Jack Dylan Grazer, Chosen Jacobs, Wyatt Oleff, Nicholas Hamilton, Owen Teague and Logan Thompson. The film debuts debut Sept. 8, 2017.

(via Birth.Movies.Death)