Every twenty-seven years the clown, Pennywise, returns for a yearlong feast on the fears of innocent children. The world was first introduced to his story in September of 1986 when Stephen King released his book It, which was later released as a movie in 1990. Now, twenty-seven years later, the well-known film has been remade. Many people, including myself, had high expectations for the movie. While the movie was not what I expected it to be, it was still quite enjoyable.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the movie was the cast. The cast of It was made up of some familiar faces. For example, Finn Wolfhard, who played Richie, also plays a well-loved character named Mike on the show Stranger Things. Bill Skargård, who played Pennywise in It, was in Allegiant.

Because the movie was marketed as a horror film, I expected it to be frightening. Sadly, the fear factor did not live up to my expectation.  The movie is definitely unsettling, but it is not scary. Clowns are usually scary, but Pennywise is the exception. His manic laugh, for instance, is more humorous than frightening.

The movie also slightly deviates from the book. Lovers of the book It know that the characters are not portrayed on screen exactly as they were in the book. However, even though they are altered in the movie, the characters still remain lovable. Some other changes were made in the movie due to the fact that the producers planned for a sequel. In the beginning of It, the screen flashed “Chapter 1”, which is an indication that there is more to the story. The sequel has been set to be released in September of 2019.

It is different from the typical horror movie. Even though it has some elements of a typical horror film such as blatant foreshadowing and foreboding music, it also contains witty one-liners and jokes. These funny moments make the audience chuckle and momentarily forget that they are watching a ‘scary’ movie. The film can be compared to the TV show Stranger Things in that it isn’t the kind of movie that would induce nightmares, but definitely leaves you with an eerie feeling.

Even though the movie It wasn’t as scary as I hoped it to be, it was still an enjoyable experience. If you are expecting a typical horror movie, you will be disappointed. This is definitely not the best movie I have ever seen, nor is it one of the most memorable. If you are looking for a creepy yet funny movie to watch to prepare for Halloween, this is a great choice.

3/5 feathers