"IT" 2017 Review

Months before its release, the new film adaptation of Stephen King’s It was receiving a lot of buzz. The trailers were getting horror fans talking, and excitement was building. On September 8th, 2017, the wait was finally over.

The film is set in the fictional town of Derry, Maine, and it follows the story of a group of friends, self-named the Losers’ Club, who fall victim to Pennywise, the killer clown who emerges from his slumber every twenty-seven years. An intense, unrelenting thrill ride ensues, along with a deep, emotional story.

The weakest parts of this movie are the fright moments, but that’s only because the characters are so complex. The movie very much succeeds as as a coming-of-age drama, more than as a horror movie. That being said, the scares are still very good and this is one of the most intense and creepiest horror movies I have seen in quite some time. A common complaint among horror fans is that the film relies too much on jump scares, scares that come out of nowhere and are often accompanied by a loud noise to make the audience jump. I admit that the film does have many jump scares, but I am willing to forgive them because they are very well done. The scenes build up before the jump scares and provide an ample amount of suspense beforehand. The jump scares provide a much needed escape from this powerful psychological dread.

If you ask me, the scariest scenes are not the ones with loud noises and things jumping out of the shadows. The scariest scenes are the ones where Pennywise (or one of his many forms) appears on screen and scares the audience with his mere appearance. There are many scenes with Pennywise grinning menacingly at the kids, contorting his body in disturbing ways, or appearing in a form that is visually terrifying. These scenes build up the suspense and never give you a release. The result is intense psychological torment that you, at times, just want to end. If you are a horror fan like myself, then these scenes will sell the movie for you.

Overall, this is a very well-acted, intense horror movie with amazing, believable, and entertaining characters, and some truly terrifying and unrelenting scenes. This film went back to its roots, drawing heavily from the novel, unlike the first film adaptation in the 90s. The result is a remake that far surpasses the quality of the original film, and can rightfully be called one of the best Stephen King film adaptations of all time. In my opinion, it is not the best. Films like The Shining and The Shawshank Redemption are still better, since they are cinematic masterpieces, but this comes impressively close to snagging the title. It is scary, intense, well-acted, and has a heartfelt story at its core. When you aren’t squirming in your seat, you are completely invested in the characters. I don’t know what else you could possibly want in a horror movie. This is one of the best horror movies I have ever seen, and it deserves all of the critical acclaim that it has received. It is a great movie in all respects.