I am not a big fan of clowns. I think they are all that is wrong with the world. As time has passed, there has been little proof that they are here to make life better for us. Josie, my girlfriend, also has an absolute fear of them. Now, you already know I like horror movies. I like to be scared. And I cannot even imagine something more terrifying than Stephan King's twisted mind dreaming up a demonic clown. Neither could Josie and she refused to see it. Well that was until her friends wanted to go as a group. You better believe I bought the movie tickets before Josie could change her mind.
The movie "It" is a remake of the 1990 television miniseries of the same name which was a movie from Stephan King's 1986 book called, you got it, "It". the screenplay was written by Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga and Gary Dauberman and was directed by Andy Muschietti. It stars Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise the clown (Skarsgard with and without makeup is pictured below). There are seven kids in the movie but I will not list them since Pennywise definitely stole the show.
The movie is about seven teenagers who are stalked by a demonic clown which appears every twenty-seven years or so. The clown will show up, kill (well, take the souls of) several children. Once the clown (named Pennywise) has his fill of children, he will disappear until he needs to gorge himself on new on new souls.
The scene is set in the present in a small town. The seven children are the misfits of the town. Nerdy, smart kids that just do not seem to fit in with any of the other children. One of the children is still coming to grips with the loss of his brother, Pennywise's first victim in the movie. The children begin to see strange things: red balloons floating out of nowhere, blood flowing out of pipes that no one can see and glimpses of Pennywise himself.
This is when the children decide it is time to investigate and learn of the terrible history involving missing children and Pennwise. They decide they cannot sit back and do nothing. They decide to go after the demon clown.
I have been lucky enough to read the book, see the television movie and, now, see the modern day remake. All were very good. Tim Curry played Pennywise in the television adaptation of the book and I thought he was cheerfully creepy, in his bright costume and very welcoming smile (he reminded me of Bozo, probably why he was not scary in the beginning). But when he turned nasty, he was one of the scariest characters I have seen.
Bill Skarsgard's Pennywise is far less inviting. If I were a kid and I saw that thing, I would turn tail. The outfit is dark and dirty. It has that poofiness that you would see in some Victorian outfits of the Nineteenth century. His make up is simple and magnifies that creepy smile by those blood red lips. His head is huge and his receding flame red hair extenuates that huge forehead. He is truly a nightmare to look at. To add more, he is very tall with lanky arms and legs. If I saw this thing in a dark ally, I would be running the other way.
Why do I talk about the clowns instead of the movie? Because those clowns are the movie. I do not have a favorite. They are both different and both suck.
Anyway, the movie was outstanding. It was dark and creepy. It also had some humor sprinkled in. The clown, though the real star of the show, was not overused and that made the movie even scarier. You never knew when or how he would appear. He just suddenly showed up. The acting was the typical acting of a horror movie. Because this was a Stephan King movie, there was actually a plot. This is not the typical, "let the brain vegetate for two hours," kind of movie. You needed to pay attention.
What I also like in this movie (and the next one) is the linear approach. Unlike the book and the television series, it does not depend of flashbacks. I sometimes found this confusing in the other versions. This one covers the lives of the children and will cover the lives of the adults in the next movie (this might be considered a spoiler but it really should not be). The movie follows the book very well.
"It" is rated R for strong language and some violence. It was definitely worth the wait and I cannot wait for the DVD to come out. I rate this one 5 out of five stars.
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Resources:
IMDb.com
Pictures courtesy of:
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warnerbros.com
teahunter.com
entertainment.ie
theindependant.com