It [M]

The terrors are so real when you’re a kid. No one knows this better than Bev, Eddie, Billy, Richie, Stan, Mike, and Ben, a group of kids united over a summer in a New England town by their mutual encounters with an evil force that takes the shape of a clown. It’s been thirty years since the kids faced off the evil of It, but now killings are happening again and grown-up Bev, Eddie, Billy, Richie, Stan, Mike, and Ben must remember their childhood nightmares if they are to confront the evil a second time and get rid the town of It for good. 

Based on the novel by Stephen King (who else?) It, despite being a film of considerable length (being actually a 2-part TV miniseries), is a great look into the innocence of childhood as well as the strength of fear and how kids and adults see things very differently. Whilst we never really get a concrete idea of what It actually is, which admittedly gives the story its central hook that keeps audiences in their seats, the film sits as an interesting piece in cinema mixing coming-of-age with horror and surprisingly doing a really good job. 

The terrors are so real when you’re a kid. No one knows this better than Bev, Eddie, Billy, Richie, Stan, Mike, and Ben, a group of kids united over a summer in a New England town by their mutual encounters with an evil force that takes the shape of a clown. It’s been thirty years since the kids faced off the evil of It, but now killings are happening again and grown-up Bev, Eddie, Billy, Richie, Stan, Mike, and Ben must remember their childhood nightmares if they are to confront the evil a second time and get rid the town of It for good. 

Let’s first talk about the story. As I mentioned It ultimately tells two tales: one about a town being plagued by a supernatural force of evil and the other a coming-of-age story. Over half of the movie is told through a series of flashbacks, each one serving the purpose of getting to know our heroes as well as setting up the history of the horror: each kid’s encounter with Pennywise the clown. The film begins a little clichéd and predictable enough until we get to the character of Mike the librarian ringing around to all these seemingly random people. As each flashback takes place, the connection between all these characters comes into the light and the intrigue deep seats itself in the audience, holding everyone in their seats until the climactic and final showdown. 

Whilst sometimes the technique and editing can be a little clichéd, the low camera angles for example, ultimately I really liked how the film transitioned from present to past to present to past through a clever little bit of screenwriting. An object or a characteristic gesture from the central characters triggers each transition into a flashback and I think this had a really nice, solidifying effect on everything. It was simple and could easily be overlooked, but in that it held a lot of power that I really liked. 

The final point I want to talk about is Tim Curry as Pennywise the clown, because it’s Tim Curry and he needs his own salute. I think what makes Pennywise so freaky is the fact that he doesn’t really look like such a threatening character. Yeah he’s a clown, but he’s not a deformed clown like the Joker, indeed he’s quite typical: all smiles with red lips, a red nose, and a white face. Curry even puts on this higher-pitched gravelly voice that doesn’t necessarily sound endearing, but it’s not really scary either. The experience of watching Pennywise is a bit of a mixed bag because on the one hand, he’s not all that sinister when you look at him but on the other hand, his appearances in the most random situations make him a bit like the conversational elephant in the room: there’s something really off and discomforting about having this guy around and Tim Curry did a great job. 

Starring Harry Anderson, Dennis Christopher, Richard Masur, Annette O’Toole, Tim Reid, Jonathan Brandis, Brandon Crane, John Ritter, Richard Thomas, Adam Faraizl, Emily Perkins, Marlon Taylor, Ben Heller, Olivia Hussey, Michael Cole, Jarred Blancard, and Seth Green, It is not overly an amazing movie, but it’s a film that I really enjoyed. The special effects are a bit dated, indeed there aren’t that many; it’s all makeup and creature effects, but the two stories that make up the plot really work to keep eyes on screens and interest piqued. It’s a bit Stand By Me meets The Library Policeman and I would definitely watch it again.