Director Andrés Muschietti
Genre Drama | Horror
Cast Bill Skarsgård, Jaeden Lieberher, Finn Wolfhard, Jeremy Ray Taylor
Rating R
Release Date September 8th, 2017
“A group of bullied kids band together when a monster, taking the appearance of a clown, begins hunting children.”
From director Andrés Muschietti, IT is a remake of the successful 1990 miniseries, based on the best-selling Stephen King novel. The 2017 horror drama includes 3 writers contributing to the screenplay, who try to bring King's novel to life yet again. It has been proven time and time again that one thing we can count on as a society, is the inevitable fear of clowns. Officially known as coulrophobia and categorized as an anxiety disorder, it has been reigning havoc for as long I can remember, with my first experience coming thanks to the corny 1988 horror film Killer Clowns from Outer Space. Now that is a film with some remake potential (kidding, obviously). The cast for 2017's IT includes Bill Skarsgård, Jaeden Lieberher, Finn Wolfhard, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillie, Javier Botet, and Nicholas Hamilton.
Superbly casted, well-written, and genuinely creepy and disturbing throughout, IT is not only one of the absolute best Stephen King adaptations, it is one of the best horror films of 2017. After months of anticipation and 27 years since the miniseries, the day has finally come, and my excitement level was through the roof. Full disclosure, IT is the first horror movie since the original Paranormal Activity to actually give me legitimate chills. To me that is what makes a movie scary, to actually feel something within your body that you rarely experience. Paranormal Activity had the advantage of the element of surprise, because I honestly wasn't sure what to expect. But IT on the other hand lacked that benefit, and instead somehow managed to scare by utilizing creativity and sheer directorial talent combined with chilling cinematography.
Pennywise the clown is reintroduced to audiences in such a way that I felt proud to be a fan of the original film. I'm having a very difficult time deciding which epic scene was my favorite, which is obviously a good thing. The fear is unleashed in IT, and from every scene where Pennywise sprints at the screen like Usain Bolt off the starting line, the film doesn't pull any punches. Setting the horror aspect aside for a second, IT is unique in its ability to toe the line between scary and absolutely hilarious. I laughed a ton during this film, but rest assured that the 2 hours and 15 minute runtime allows for the perfect blending of the two genres. Viewers find themselves immersed in this clique of young adults known as "The Losers Club", and even though they raz each other at every opportunity much to the delight of the audience, IT is still very dark, even controversial at times similar to the source material, and absolutely earned the R-rating. This is what a remake or reimagining is supposed to be, taking full advantage of the tools available today, and in the process inevitably capturing an entirely new fan base to join those that have been avid fans for years.
IT excels in a variety of categories but perhaps none more impactful than it's talented young cast. Before I get into the young cast I have to talk about the new Pennywise, played by relatively unknown actor Bill Skarsgård, brother of Alexander Skarsgård, the former star of HBO's hit series True Blood. Skarsgård is INCREDIBLE!! I mean I'm talking a damn near Heath Ledger playing Joker level performance in terms of commitment to his character, his use of dialogue, and his creepy as all hell mannerisms. I'll admit this is a different level and even though IT is dark, and it is very dark, it's still not quite on the level of The Dark Knight in that category but something tells me the next chapter will be. Skarsgård simply grabs ahold of the audience from his first scene and never lets go. Not for a second does he come across as cheesy, not even close. A huge credit is due to the director, the cinematographers, and the screenwriter, and of course King himself, but all of that talent would have been useless without the key ingredient of a committed and scary as hell Bill Skarsgård. The most recognizable of the young cast starring alongside Skarsgård includes Jaeden Lieberher, who starred alongside Bill Murray in St. Vincent, and Michael Shannon in Midnight Express, and Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard. Both actors were incredible in IT and continue to make a name for themselves in a very, very difficult industry. Honorable mention is equally well deserved for Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillie, Javier Botet, and Nicholas Hamilton, rounding out a talented up-and-coming group of young actors. I’m interested to see who gets casted as the adult versions in Chapter 2 because they have some big shoes to fill.
The bottom line is this, IT is a damn good, dare I say brilliant horror movie that integrates several other elements to further increase its effectiveness. Whether you are a horror fan or not, if you can handle a good scare I absolutely recommend you experience IT while in theaters, you will NOT be disappointed. Now, I just can't wait for Chapter 2 to arrive, which was recently officially greenlit thanks to IT crashing the box office with huge numbers and many more to come. I'll probably see it at least one more time myself. Oh yeah and above all else just remember one thing, “you’ll float too”. Highly recommended.
