In the new adaptation of Stephen King’s horror novel, It, we hear the story of a group of six boys and one girl, also known as the Losers Club,  as they are tormented by Pennywise the Dancing Clown (Bill Skårsgard). Although a movie adaptation of the book had already been created in 1990, the new It offers a different point of view, a new cast, and more fear.
The movie begins with the first encounter of Pennywise. A young boy named Georgie (Jackson Robert Scott) brings a paper boat, which his brother Bill (Jaeden Lieberher) made for him, out into the rain to float down the streams of water built up in neighborhood streets. Georgie chases after the boat until it accidently floats down the sewer, and upon peering in, Georgie is met by the smiling face of Pennywise, the clown. The clown precedes to drag him into the storm drain, never to be seen again. Bill is left distraught and determined to find his brother. The movie follows the Losers Club as they each form relationships, struggle in their day-to-day lives, and are harassed by Pennywise who is looking to collect more children’s bodies before the year came to a close.
With Swedish actor Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise, he gives a spine-chilling portrayal of the part, much more frightening than the clown in the original 1990 version. With his creepy smile, glowing eyes, and menacing voice, it is obvious that there was a lot of effort and thought put into creating the perfect costume and persona to chill the viewers to the bone. The movie is unique to other scary films in that many other’s scare factor is based only on sudden, random jump-scares, while the fright of Pennywise will send chills down your spine just by hearing him speak to the children in his menacing, shrill voice. Pennywise is terrifying in a way that seems effortless as he easily targets each of the children’s individual fears and torments them.
While the movie is frightening, there is a good balance of comedy to lighten the mood so that the audience isn’t afraid for the entire 2 hours and 15 minutes length. The kids in the Losers Club often make fun of each other and joke around, making the movie different from your average, sinister horror movie. While the plot is undoubtedly filled with fear and suspense, there is also character bonding and humor to make the movie even more captivating.
Throughout the adaptation, one might notice the many similarities between the Losers Club and the kids of the currently popular netflix show, Stranger Things. Not only is young actor, Finn Wolfhard, one of the main characters in both It and Stranger Things, but the children’s predicaments are similar in both. Both groups are the outcast, nerdy boys dealing with fighting terrifying monsters; both groups of kids take in a new girl member to their group; and both can lighten the mood with their comedic attitudes and strong bonds of friendship.
In the book by Stephen King, the children learn that Pennywise visits the town of Derry, Maine every 27 years to take as many children as he can, leaving citizens in confusion. It (2017) takes a different approach to the adaptation of the book by including the characters only as kids and not following the rest of their story as adults. When the credits begin to roll, the screen indicates that this was only chapter one. We must wait and see the sequel to figure out what will become of Pennywise and if the Losers Club will get rid of him once and for all, and from viewers’ reactions, it is already widely anticipated.