MOLLY VANDENBERG
Staff Writer
There’s nothing like a classic horror movie remake to get a taste of the fall season that will soon be upon us.
“It,” based off Stephen King’s 1986 novel, came to theaters on Sept. 8. The film is directed by Andy Muschietti and features child stars such as Jaeden Lieberher, Finn Wolfhard and Sophia Lillis.
The story centers around seven children (the self-proclaimed “Losers Club”) in Derry, Maine who find themselves being terrorized by an unknown demon. While it’s most common form is Pennywise the clown, this Eater of Worlds can take the shape of anything that will horrify you the most. The clown returns every 27 years in Derry to kill and terrorize more children.
The movie offers many terrifying images such as the opening scene where Georgie follows his paper boat into a storm drain where he’s confronted with Pennywise, who manages to coerce him into the drain.
Muschietti tries to stress that Pennywise is a force of evil that’s escaped from another dimension.
Georgie’s brother Bill makes it a goal to get to the bottom of what happened to his little brother. As a group, Bill and the others think that confronting their fears instead of running away might just save them in the end.
In this new adaptation, Pennywise is played by Bill Skarsgård who shines in his terrific role throughout the film. It’s apparent that he doesn’t even have to try to scare.
Even though I would still say it’s iconic, Tim Curry’s portrayal of Pennywise in the miniseries was slightly less believable and a lot more over the top.
The world got its first taste of “It” on screen when a miniseries aired on ABC in 1990.
Muschietti was faced with the difficult task of adopting a cherished book (that was also adopted into a revered miniseries) into a more modern adaption.
How can one please every fan?
“For me, Stephen King’s book is so complete, in a way, that you don’t try to make a faithful adaption of it. You make a movie that would stand in its own right, and people will get it,” said Muschietti in an article for The Independent. “It wasn’t easy in the sense that the story was so rich: it’s a 1,200 page book. It’s not like a normal movie.”
While the book jumps between the 1950s and 1980s, the new film moved the children’s story to the 1980s. There will be a second installment that focuses on their adult story. This will make the story easier to follow compared to the first “It” miniseries that jumped back and forth in time throughout the films.
However, Muschietti doesn’t think the sequel will focus only on the children’s adult lives.
“In my opinion, it can’t only be about adults. Something that I love about the book is the dialogue between the two timelines because, ultimately, it is a story of childhood. It’s a love letter to childhood, but it’s also a story about the death of childhood,” said Muschietti on his envisions for the sequel in an article for the Independent. “It’s symbolic, of course, because when Pennywise describes himself as an Eater of Worlds, he’s not talking about a monster that eats plants; he’s talking about eating the world of imagination and magic.”
There’s a number of underlying themes present throughout the movie.
“King himself has said that the novel, at heart, is about the relationship between childhood and adulthood, and about passing between the potentially dangerous ‘fairytale bridge’ between the two,” said Rebecca Hawkes in an article for the Telegraph.
The new “It” relays the message that the supernatural is more than just aesthetics. It stems from passion and long-running emotions.