Ingrid Kersh (née Gray) (portrayed by Florence Paterson in the IT (1990 miniseries), and Joan Gregson in It: Chapter Two), also known as Mrs. Kersh, was a secondary form of It created to scare Beverly Marsh, one of the novel's protagonists into leaving Derry before he was going to kill them all if they stayed. Ingrid is a main character in IT: Welcome to Derry, where it is revealed that Ingrid Kersh is the daughter of Bob Gray, the original Pennywise the Dancing Clown performer from 1908, and intended to perform alongside him as Periwinkle.
Quick Answers
Who portrays Mrs. Kersh in the IT (1990 miniseries) and It: Chapter Two?
Is Mrs. Kersh a form of It created to scare Beverly Marsh?
What is the connection between Mrs. Kersh and Pennywise?
What is the significance of Mrs. Kersh in the story of It: Chapter Two?
Background[]
"Mrs. Kersh" was another "form" that Beverly, one of the protagonists in the story, was afraid of. Similar to the mummy, werewolf, and leper, Mrs Kersh was a face of sorts for It, drawing off something that Beverly was scared of; from her childhood through adulthood, some she remembered just recently. The face of Mrs. Kersh is from the model on a girly book she and Ben had seen in the Neibolt House as kids.[1]
Assuming human form[]
In 1985, IT assumed the form of a seemingly kindly old woman named Mrs. Kersh. When the Losers returned to Derry, IT's hometown, to kill IT for good when IT had resurfaced, Beverly Marsh, one of the Losers, went off to revisit her old home after arrival. She had been a little disturbed over lunch as IT had put several grisly objects inside fortune cookies as a welcome-home present, but Beverly convinced herself these were hallucinations, and when she knocked on her home door, she asked for Mr. Alvin Marsh, her father, but an old woman, Mrs. Kersh, appeared instead.
Mrs. Kersh told her that Alvin Marsh was dead, which confused Beverly, as she was sure the name on the door had said "Marsh" but on second glance she saw that it said "Kersh." Or so she believed. When Mrs. Kersh invited her inside as an apology for such awful news, and offered to make tea, Beverly looked around, and saw the sink where she had heard IT and IT's victims speak to her thirty years ago. She thought the events would happen again once more, but Mrs. Kersh called that tea was ready. Beverly was already beginning to have doubts and the tea Mrs. Kersh poured looked thick and muddy. But she thought; it was tea, no worry. Mrs. Kersh talked about local affairs and then slowly began to change.
Inspired by Beverly’s childhood fear of the story of Hansel and Gretel , Kersh’s teeth slowly became yellowed and grew into fangs. Her face also began to decay. Her hair began to retreat and her scalp showed through, becoming the witch in the Gingerbread House. Beverly, thinking that the monster wouldn't attack, if it thought she hadn't recognized its demonic form, and if it thought that she still believed the ruse, said politely that she had to leave, and then suddenly realized it wasn't tea inside her cup at all, but excrement from the sewers of Derry, and almost fainted upon realizing she had a sip of it, and then regained enough wits to know that Mrs. Kersh was immediately attacking, however Beverly ran away and saw the entire house had turned into a boarded-up abandoned building, and the name on the door had indeed still said, “Marsh.” Mrs. Kersh then adopted the voice of her father, another great fear of Beverly’s since childhood, and admitted that Beverly's father secretly wanted to rape Beverly and told her that nobody who died in Derry really died.
Beverly slammed the door on Mrs. Kersh and escaped, but Pennywise was outside, laughing at her hysterically, much to Beverly's dismay. Beverly, distracted by Pennywise's evil laughter, almost got hit by a delivery truck driving toward her, but she managed to get out of the way in time, only to hear IT's evil laughter again and balloons flying around her as she looked on.
In the novel, Beverly fought him off by saying that the grackles knew his real name, which confused IT, and bought her time to escape.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Extended longevity: It is strongly implied that Pennywise may have prolonged her natural lifespan after she became It’s unwilling pawn (similar to what It offered the Losers in the original novel when it begged for its life). Despite her youthful appearance in the series, she should be at least 60+ years old.
Film continuity[]
It: Welcome to Derry[]
Ingrid Kersh was originally the daughter of Bob Gray, the original Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Ingrid travelled with the Santini Brothers Carnival to Derry in 1908 alongside her father, intending to debut as Periwinkle. Ingrid was distraught to learn that her father had gone missing one night, with the only evidence being a bloodied handkerchief belonging to him. The carnival's ringmaster suspected wolves. Ingrid remained at the Derry Carnival following the disappearance of her father, as she was present as Periwinkle at the time Francis Shaw was visiting.
1935[]
In the 1935 cycle, Ingrid was confronted by It while escorting a girl called Mabel out from Juniper Hill asylum. It intercepted them and killed Mabel. It realized that Ingrid was the daughter of the man whose form it was using. It took his appearance partially use and partially because it couldn't sense her fear. After this incident, Ingrid came to believe that It was simply possessing her father and worked to help It in Its cycles in the hopes she could try and free her father from Its influence. This also included stalking Its potential victims as Periwinkle.
1962[]
During the 1962 cycle Ingrid would make friends with Lilly Bainbridge, another young girl in Juniper Hill Asylum. Ingrid would don the Periwinkle disguise to stalk the children in an effort to find It at the graveyard and outside the Hanlons' house. Lilly would later discover Ingrid's history as Bob Gray's daughter and Periwinkle, as well as her desire to find her father. Ingrid would lead Hank Grogan, with whom she was having an affair, to The Black Spot, before informing the Derry Society of White Decency of his location in order to facilitate a massacre which It would not be able to resist. She once again donned the Periwinkle costume and found It at the Black Spot in the form of Pennywise. She also found her abusive husband, Stanley Kersh, the local butcher, who was briefly surprised to find that she was there. Ingrid boldly proclaimed that Periwinkle was her true self, to which Stanley angrily attempted to cow her into submission by threatening to beat her senseless if she did not return home and remove her costume and clown makeup, after which It immediately killed Stanley by slicing his head cleanly in half with a cleaver. It told her she had done a good job but that It was going to sleep now Its cycle was complete. Ingrid, fearful of being abandoned again, grabbed Its arm, and in that instant, It sensed that fear. Seeing the sinister smile of realisation on Its face, Ingrid quickly came to realise that It was not her father, but was simply using her father's form for Itself. It mocked Ingrid for believing that It was her father, and then confirmed that It had eaten Bob Gray in 1908. It told her that Bob Gray lived on inside It, claiming to feel Bob Gray reaching out to her, before It showed Ingrid the Deadlights, rendering her comatose. Following the Black Spot massacre, Ingrid is taken away by EMTs. Ingrid is subsequently committed to Juniper Hill Asylum for the next 26 years.
1988[]
In October 1988, the same month Its cycle begins anew, Ingrid is in her room painting a picture of her grabbing Pennywise's arm in an effort to stop him abandoning her, when a disturbance draws Ingrid to Elfrida Marsh's room where she has just committed suicide. Ingrid tells a young Beverly Marsh "don't be sad. You know what they say about Derry. No one who dies here ever really dies," before she gives the grieving girl a sinister smile.
2016[]
Decades later, It would assume the form of Ingrid Kersh in front of Beverly Marsh, as she had seen her in 1988. Mrs. Kersh's first appearance is similar to that in the book, though the facade of a kind old woman slips away quicker. She invites Beverly to look around while she starts tea and gets cookies out, and this is when Beverly removes the baseboard in her sewing room to find her tokens: the key necklace from It: Chapter One (2017 film), a box of cigarettes, and Ben's letter to her. Mrs. Kersh serves her tea, and while not directly addressed, Beverly's reaction to it implies it is similar to the book. Mrs. Kersh tells Beverly "you know what they say about Derry. No one who dies here ever really dies" before freezing in a sinister smile, much like the real Ingrid had in 1988. Mrs. Kersh fans her own shirt open showing scars and complaining about the heat. She returns to the kitchen, and Beverly sees a photo of a young girl and Bob Grey next to the Pennywise the Dancing Clown circus cart seen in the sewers in Chapter One. By this time Mrs Kersh is seen in the darkness of the kitchen as fully nude. The takes on a monstrous form with a deformed face, two extra mouths in her throat, and grey skin as she attempts to run after Beverly. The lovely apartment reverts back to a dingy uncared for building and as Beverly reaches the locked door she turns around to see Bob Grey applying white makeup, and he tears the iconic Pennywise redlines into his own face as he threatens her. Beverly escapes the building to see it is in complete disrepair.
Mrs. Kersh's monstrous form is seen again before they enter the door to Pennywise's lair, grabbing Beverly and saying "Time to sink!" before pulling her under the water. It is not seen what happens as all the remaining Losers save for Eddie dive in after her, but they shortly resurface. Mrs. Kersh's monstrous form makes one final appearance during the final fight with It, with It temporarily changing Its face into Mrs. Kersh's monster form following Beverly telling It that It is just 'a weak old woman'.
Quotes[]
- "No one who dies here ever really dies."
- ―Ingrid said to Lilly in 1962 - Ingrid said to Beverly in 1988 - IT in disguise as her to Beverly in 2016.
IT : Welcome To Derry :[]
- "Have you seen him? You saw him! Oh my word... you did it! Oh, sweetheart, you did it! Oh, Lilly, of course it was you!"
- ―Ingrid realises Lilly has seen It in the form of Pennywise
- "My father was a clown performer. He called himself Pennywise the Dancing Clown. I adored him. And he was taken from me."
- ―Ingrid tries to explain about her father
- "Papa?"
- ―Ingrid recognises the form It has taken
- "It was him... different, perhaps. Changed by whatever he'd been through, or wherever he'd been... oh, but it was him, all the same. A daughter knows."
- ―Ingrid tries to explain to Lilly about seeing her father again
It : Chapter Two :[]
- "Don't be so POLITE!..."
- ―IT in disguise as her when annoyed when Bev doesn't want to be bothered
- ―IT in disguise as her talks to Bev about her father's past
Trivia[]
- Stephen King named Mrs. Kersh after Irvin Kershner, the director of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.
- Joan Gregson, who portrayed Ingrid Kersh in It Chapter Two and the final episode of It: Welcome to Derry, died on June 6, 2025 at the age of 91 due to cancer prior to the release of the series. The final episode was dedicated in memory of her.
Image Gallery[]
Miniseries[]
Movie[]
Notes[]
- ↑ chapter 18, section 8
Editing age