“It” Is a Hauntingly Original Take On The Horror Classic

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I hate horror movies. I hate the cheap jump scares littered in the genre, I hate the plain gore meant to freak you out, and I just hate how it makes me feel. In fact, they’re the only genre of film that I regularly stay away from.

 

But I am happy to say “It”, directed by Andy Muschietti, was impeccable.

 

Starring some of the best child actors working today (Jaeden Lieberher and Finn Wolfhard) and Bill Skarsgard as the one and only “Pennywise the Clown”, the film takes a hit at the story of “The Losers Club” that has never been seen before.

 

Following the disappearance of many children in the city of Derry, six kids must team up to defeat an evil that lurks deep within their town.

 

As a middle schooler, I was obsessed with the character of Pennywise, finding him incredibly interesting and haunting. The original Tim Curry adaptation of it was iconic in my eyes, but Bill Skarsgard truly cemented himself as THE Pennywise. The technology is much more updated than in the previous film, allowing Pennywise to look like a creature rather than a costume. Everytime he was on screen I was engrossed by his look and the way he moved.

 

The Losers Club shone just as brightly as Pennywise. The film managed to create a comedic tone in the light of some gruesome, horrific, imagery. Finn Wolfhard is the stand out, giving his best performance in his short career.  

When going to see a scary movie the most important question I have after seeing it is “Did it scare me?”. Did “It” scare me? Honestly, no. While I did jump a few times throughout the film, it never truly terrified me. Based on the friends I saw it with though, I am definitely in the minority.

 

The writing in this film was almost fantastic. Like I said before, they somehow managed to create a comedic tone inside a horror film, allowing for hilarious moments right next to scary ones. The writers also decided to split the novel into two movies, this one covering the children, and the second covering them as grownups (not a spoiler, was released by the filmmakers).

 

There was one main problem I had with the entire film, some members of the “Losers” club felt underdeveloped. For example the Jewish character or the farmer character. Both boys seemed to just be there. They focused a lot more time on Beverly, Bill, and Ben’s character. In the next film, I really hope to see each character get enough development so if somebody is in peril, we truly care about them.

 

“It” was an impeccable movie, the most fun I’ve had in a theatre all year. Is it the best film of the year? Not even close. The way they managed to keep me engaged and excited for ever turn made me want to see it three more times. Although, viewers beware, if you have coulrophobia (fear of clowns) I would HIGHLY recommend NOT seeing this film. Because “it” will haunt you.