Stephen King’s “IT ” first emerged in 1986 as a horror novel. It follows a group of friends as they hunt down and attempt to destroy the killer clown, aka Pennywise, who feeds on children every twenty-seven years. In 1990, “IT” returned as a two-part miniseries that aired on television and now, twenty-seven years later “IT” has returned yet again on September 8th, 2017. Raking in 12 million on its opening day and after its 7.9 million on Wednesday, a total of about 151 million, according to Scott Mendelson, contributor for Forbes/ Media & Entertainment. Director Andy Muschiette has delivered an entirely new version of Pennywise, played by Bill Skarsgard, and “IT” works! Pun intended.
I recently watched the 1990 miniseries and although I enjoyed it, there is no doubt that it pales in comparison to its successor. Don’t get me wrong, Tim Curry’s portrayal of the demonic, child hungry clown was good for its time and budget but, let’s face it. We are in a new world of horror. Movies like “The Conjuring” and “Insidious” have set the stage for what a horror movie should be. Bill Skarsgard’s take on the character of Pennywise fits perfectly into today’s CGI dominated film industry. With an R-Rated label, it delivers. This version is darker than its predecessor both in tone and cinematography. It follows footsteps of the 1990 miniseries, for example, the death of Georgie ( the little boy with the boat) has many of the same elements and even dialog but, it’s just way creepier. Without giving away any spoilers, the Georgie scene takes an unexpected left turn and, that is where we see the biggest shift in tone, in my opinion
The best comparison I can think of is the 2006 “Superman Returns” versus it’s 2013 reboot, “Man of Steel”. Both great films but far different takes on the characters, plots lines, visual effects, and tone. 2017 “IT” is an all-around creepy movie and it balances on a thin line of suspense and comedy. I know it’s weird to have comedy in a horror film but, if you saw the 1990 miniseries then you know it was almost equally as comical as it was scary. The difference here is that the miniseries had more silly comedy and throughout the movie Pennywise would literally crack jokes but, Bill’s portrayal is just disturbing. In this movie, most of its comical relief is delivered by the children and the few times where Pennywise does joke, it’s more satire than slapstick. There is an uncanniness to his appearance and he has a twisted sense of humor, and it works for the tone of this film. The acting is outstanding, especially from the children, who spend a significant amount of time without any adult counters. The interactions between the children remind me of how my friends and I used to treat each other and this makes their characters interesting.
The movie takes place in the 80’s but the writers did an amazing job of modernizing the characters to fit a 20th century production.
In my opinion, there were quite a few jump-scares but, the movie was not overwhelmingly scary. However, where it lacked in scary it more than made up for in plot, and cinematography. I give it a 9/10 and I highly, recommend everyone to see it. Especially if you are a person like me who enjoys movies for their ability to tell a good story.
Categories:
Stephen King’s “It”: Review
September 20, 2017

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Bill Skarsgard in a scene from “It.” (Brooke Palmer/Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)
0
More to Discover