Andres Muschietti directed this Stephen King horror novel into a great adapted film. It’s a simple story with a simple cast, and it turned out big for movie lovers and horror enthusiasts. I’m not much of a horror guy and don’t scare easily. Having seen this movie was a delight for mainly storytelling purposes rather than the gore and scares. I definitely recommend this film for anyone to understand the true meaning why Pennywise exists and what he can do to haunt your sanity.
One word of caution before going to see “IT”, don’t watch the trailers. Most of the scariest scenes in this film are in the trailers. It really softened the blow for me when I watched “IT” in the theater. I was quite disappointed that I wasn’t as scared of the movie as I wanted to be because I knew what scary scenes were coming. Granted, the trailers only show a sliver of what messed up things Pennywise can do, but the moments were spoiled for me. Still creepy though.
Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise was a great addition to this horrific adaptation. He comes from a big acting family and he puts his theatrical talents to work. His joyful and sinister laugh, his creepy crawly eyes, and his physical acrobatics make him a dangerous antagonist. I was solely convinced that Skarsgard did not exist. Only the clown. That awful, prepared, scary clown. This was unlike any villain I’ve seen in recent horror films. Skarsgard gave his best performance of his career so far due to his commitment to the character. I hope he can bring this and something new to future “IT” installments.
I was really impressed with the kid actors who portrayed the northeast coast youngsters. Jaeden Lieberher who plays Bill Denbrough was a really good addition as the leader of the “Losers Club”. One flaw that he has (I mean flaw as a positive) is he has a stutter. Not many movies risk giving a lead that kind of disability for the sake of the flow of communication. It was used very effectively in “The King’s Speech” (2010) as it was the main plot of the movie. “IT” uses Bill’s stutter as a way to give him his own physical obstacles aside from his brother’s disappearance and a crazed demon clown trying to kill him. It gave him a very human quality. Evidence of his adolescence. Human enough that he doesn’t overcome it, but learns to deal with it and carry on with the mission of survival.
I’m glad that I saw this film. Sure it didn’t scare me, but I like it for what it is. A good movie to watch as you develop clown-phobia. Wait! It’s a real phobia?! No way! It’s called coulrophobia! Sounds like a good title for a sequel if you ask me.
Bill Skarsgard in “IT”
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