(warning, major spoilers ahead!)
The remake of It brought a frenzy of clown enthusiasts and teenagers alike to theatres everywhere. Statistics from Rotten Tomatoes conclude that It has been dominating the box office, despite only being released on September 8, 2017. Despite all of the popularity, It is not as scary as the media made it out to be, which is disappointing. Startlingly creepy, yes- but scary, not at all.
What is really unnerving about the movie, is the intensity of the phrase “evil takes many forms.” An example would be Pennywise, who was very psychologically disturbing to watch most of the time. The actor Bill Skarsgård claimed that playing Pennywise the Dancing Clown gave him nightmares for weeks. “The closest thing I can liken it to is being in a very destructive relationship, because you never really realize you’re in one until you’re out,” said Skarsgård during an interview with People Magazine.
It tells the story of a cheery eyed nightmare clown named Pennywise (literally) eating away at the children of Derry, Maine during the summer of 1989. The movie focuses on the story behind the clown’s newest set of victims-to-be, the Losers Club and the seven members. They’re a group of socially awkward misfits that band together and form a tight friendship over the summer. Each member of the club is eventually attacked by the clown in the form of their deepest, darkest fears: Bill Denbourough with a reincarnation of George, and Beverly Marsh with her (sexually) abusive father. The already unsettling atmosphere heightened with every attack on the characters.
As creepy as the movie was, there were certain parts that could have had more effort put into them and others that needed less effort put into them. The zombie and lady in the portrait are very unoriginal and somewhat tacky characters. If this movie is supposedly the scariest one since Chucky or Texas Chainsaw Massacre, then one would expect to be seriously scared- not just startled once in a while.
What the viewer sees is grim and graphic, yet actual hair-raising moments are rare. It delivers cheap scares and intense nostalgia for lost childhoods. It’s understandable that the movie focused on one aspect of the book (it’s well over 1000 pages) Besides, kids and young people in general starring in horror films are all the rage these days. Look at Stranger Things as an example. It is not a bad movie, but certainly not a great one. Honestly, you’re better off saving money and waiting until this movie comes out on Netflix.
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