Movie Review: "It" Gives a New Generation Even Stranger Things to Fear

Fear is given a face in It, a hugely entertaining half-adaptation of Stephen King’s doorstopper of a novel.

As if the clowning industry could stand another public relations crisis, Hollywood returns with its latest interpretation of the most iconic evil jester in literary history.

It centers on the cursed town of Derry, Maine, which is tormented every 27 years by a supernatural demon (Bill Skarsgård) that introduces itself as Pennywise, the Dancing Clown, before feeding on local children. Failing that, it embodies their gravest fears, summoning them into the sewers, where its other victims apparently “float”. “You’ll float too,” it offers, reassuringly.

At 1,138 pages, King's 1986 text is a meal of a book; crisscrossing the decades, interspersed with details of Derry's many historical tragedies. You’d call it an overindulgence if it wasn’t so engrossing. This latest rendition is directed by Andy Muschietti, having made the rounds through the nine circles of development hell for close to a decade. (Previously attached director Cary Fukunaga gets a screenplay credit with Chase Palmer and Gary Dauberman.) At one point, Ben Mendelsohn was to star as ‘It’, in case you needed an extra dose of nightmare fuel as you sleepily return to the land of nod tonight.

Muschietti’s film—like the 1990 TV miniseries starring Tim Curry as Pennywise—only covers part of the novel, focusing on the trials of Derry’s pint-sized “Losers"; a motley crew of haunted tweenagers who band together to take down… whatever ‘it’ is. You’ll see them reunite in the promised It: Chapter Two as adults; unless Muschietti can repeat his casting miracles, I'll seriously miss the actors we're introduced to here.

They include Jaeden Lieberher as stuttering Bill Denbrough, whose little brother Georgie (Jackson Robert Scott) is snapped up by Pennywise in the disquieting opening scene; Finn Wolfhard as motormouthed Richie Tozier; Jeremy Ray Taylor as the chubby, sweet-hearted Ben Hanscom; Wyatt Oleff as the nervy Stanley Uris; Chosen Jacobs as Mike Hanlon, a homeschooled orphan; Jack Dylan Grazer as the sickly Eddie Kaspbrak; and Sophia Lillis as Beverly Marsh, who carries the deepest trauma, yet carries it best.

Lillis looks so much like Amy Adams it seems she's been cast entirely to force Adams’ hand into starring in the sequel. However, that doesn't give Lillis enough credit, as she navigates not only a killer demon-clown but a sexually abusive father and the torrents of blood (as well as what it represents) gushing from her bathroom sink too. The boys—burdened by bullies, germs and overbearing parents—have it relatively easy. Together, they're a charming, foul-mouthed collective, but make no bones about it: the actors are lucky to stand in Lillis' reflected glow.

This new picture has updated the setting from 1958 to 1989, making the Gremlins and Goonies comparisons more apparent. The presence of Wolfhard even makes It feel like a Stranger Things pastiche at times (with the gore and coarse language turned up to 11), until you're reminded that King's novel and the miniseries was actually the template, simply turned down to a family-friendlier five on Netflix.

Like Stranger Things, It is most effective and affecting as a tale of kids facing their tormenters—whatever and whoever they may be—alone, while their parents remain totally in the dark, in denial, or, worse, acting as the architects of their suffering. The Losers' Club is surprisingly adept at tackling Pennywise and his otherworldly weapons, but you wonder and worry how the seven of them will return to life afterwards, where the evils of the known world wait to resume their terrorising.

Still, let’s not diminish the role of Skarsgård, who is no shrinking violet in his outré part. He doesn’t try to mimic Curry's gravelly take on Pennywise, either; instead, he opts for a quivering, baby-voiced tease, even when trying to tempt "Geow-rgy" into the drain. It's a uniquely peculiar performance, perfectly suited to this utterly strange tale and ideal for easy, creepy imitation around the house. (Try it today!) 

It's a shame all the non-Pennywise monsters Muschietti manifests are so laughably lame; clunky, sub-stop motion beasts that recall the title stalker from his previous flick, Mama. He certainly has a type.

Despite carrying over that penchant for Edvard Munch-esque ghouls and fleeting, unsatisfying jump scares, Muschietti does a better job with the material than the miniseries’ director, Tommy Lee Wallace, who couldn’t quite marry the nostalgic adventures of its child heroes with the inhuman horror they faced. Of course, this week alone, David Lynch put on a clinic with his final episodes of Twin Peaks: The Return, demonstrating how the primal terror of your nightmares can be properly realised on screen. It is not nearly as scary. Yet, it’s a great carnival ride, and like the book's early chapters, a highly satisfying entrée to a still-to-be-served meal.

4/5

In cinemas now. Rated MA15+ for strong horror themes and violence.

Photo: Warner Bros.