Spoilers below for anyone who didn't yet watch Dancing with the Stars' Halloween-geared Horror Night episode, so be warned!
I'm always a sucker for horror-themed anything, whether we're talking about Michael Myers' latest trip to the big screen, all things Mike Flanagan on Netflix, or even Dancing with the Stars' most spooktacular installments. While the ABC competition series tends to go for the more general "Halloween Night" theming, with contestants dancing to genre friendly tunes, Season 30's "Horror Night" allowed the cast of celebs and pro dancers to really bring it with the costuming and makeup. I may never sleep soundly again after seeing Amanda Kloots rocking her Billy the Puppet look from the Saw franchise.
When all was said and done, and Dancing with the Stars had claimed its victims — Kenya Moore and Brandon Armstrong's Arachnophobia-themed performance earned them an elimination — I think we can all agree that if this series were based purely on how awesome the titular stars looked with their horror tributes, Mike "The Miz" Mizanin's Pinhead from Hellraiser and JoJo Siwa's Pennywise the Dancing Clown from IT would have gone home the dual champions.
JoJo Siwa's Pennywise and Jenna Johnson's Georgie
As one of the most sugar-coated social media stars out there, JoJo Siwa already made headlines for being one-half of Dancing with the Stars' first same-sex duo. But it was not the LGBTQ+ vibes so much as the murderous clown vibes that were prominent during Siwa and Jenna Johnson's performance of District 78's "Anything Goes," with Johnson donning a yellow slicker as the Georgie Denbrough to Siwa's Pennywise. It's safe to say neither Tim Curry nor Bill Skarsgård's IT monsters were nearly as distinguished when it came to the "Dancing Clown" portion of their monikers. Granted, Skarsgård's Pennywise did have that Vaudevillian leg-lifting move from the recent films, which I'm sure Siwa would have aped had she not been too busy nailing all her other, better moves.
By all means, JoJo Siwa's hair was already hypothetically perfect for a Pennywise portrayal, but who's have thought the pint-sized ray of sunshine would so smoothly and effectively transition into the role of an evil clown creature. As uncomfortable as it can be to sometimes see dancers straining to keep smiling through performances, Siwa's haunting grin was a perfectly fitting vision throughout.
And let's all give the duo three thumbs up for ending the performance on a gag referencing IT's Pennywise taking Georgie's arm. All in all, JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson's performance was enough to land them tied for first place with Iman Shumpert and Daniella Karagach's Us-themed dance, with both scoring 40s.
The Miz And Witney Carson's Pinhead Pair
Dancing with the Stars had other (such) sights to show fans as well. And while it's not necessarily something new for a pro wrestler to go out in front of screaming fans wearing something outlandish and uncomfortable, it was still awesome to see WWE superstar The Miz breaking out of the puzzle box for his Hellraiser-infused pasa doble with partner Witney Carson.
Both Miz and Witney Carson were in Pinhead mode for their performance, which is solid foreshadowing to the upcoming reboot's female monster. And the headgear assumedly adding an extra layer of difficulty to the dance, since neither one of them could be touched above the neck as they swept the stage during RAIGN's cover of "Wicked Games." I suppose that worked against the team's favor in some ways, as they scored on the low end with a 34. But for someone who's approaching this more as a horror fan than a dance judge, The Miz's semi-stiff movements and facial expressons felt very on point and authentic for a Pinhead portrayal. Had they been straight-up eliminated, it might have been time to call up some other Cenobites to take care of the judge's table. But the beasts can lie in wait...for now.
These two pairs definitely weren't responsible the only awesome-looking Horror Night performances, which is yet another sign of just how talented the costume, makeup and hair departments are on Dancing with the Stars. Sure, you might expect that from the Disney-owned ABC, but those crew members definitely don't get enough credit on the whole for putting things together as quickly as the celeb dancers themselves. Here's hoping DWTS keeps the Horror Night episode within the regular rotation in future seasons.
Dancing with the Stars airs Monday nights on ABC at 8:00 p.m. ET.
