When I first heard that the Stephen King novel “It” would be remade for the big screen instead of a ABC TV miniseries, I felt two very different ways. One, I was sick of remakes and remasters of older movies. Two, I was curious to see if a movie like “It” could be made even more terrifying than the original. I left the theater not only terrified, but also unexpectedly intrigued. While the scares were impeccable, I was more impressed with the director’s ability to recreate a realistic and interesting group of misfits that truly fit their title of “The Losers Club.” I was not excited to see this movie initially, but as soon as the opening title played, I was sold.
One of the first rules that I learned when it comes to making movies is don’t work with kids. Yet, because the main characters in this story are all kids, the casting director and director had a tough challenge on their hands. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but they managed to get some amazing kids for these roles. The two standouts by far for me were Finn Wolfhard as Richie and Sophia Lillis as Beverly. Richie is the all-important comedic relief character in this movie, which really helps distract from the horror shown on screen. Wolfhard, of “Stranger Things” fame, has a natural comedic timing instilled in him that shines in this movie. Lillis, on the other hand, is the single best actor in this entire production. She provides a lot of the more intimately terrifying ideas and scenes, and acts circles around many of her castmates. If she chooses the right roles in the future, she will be a star. However, the obvious draw of the movie is Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the Clown. He chose a different approach than Tim Curry, who played the character in the original film. I personally loved the interpretation of Pennywise Skarsgård that he chose, with these horrifying eyes that seemed to glow no matter where he was.
What I really loved about this movie were the scenes between the scares. These are the most important scenes for horror movies, because they help flesh out the meaningful characters and make the danger they face seem more terrifying. It’s truly a compliment to the directors, writers and actors when I say I genuinely forgot I was in a horror movie during those scenes. They’re able to make these amazing breaks in tension and levity, which then helps ramp up the tension even more when the horror elements begin again. I wish they had enough time in the movie to really develop the characters of Mike and Stanley, but this is a minor issue. Overall, despite a few criminally underused characters, “It” was one of the more solid movies I have seen this year. “It” is definitely a modern horror classic, even giving “Get Out” a run for its money for best horror movie this year.
