IT (2017)

IT (2017)
Dir: Andy Muschietti

This is an adaptation I have been anticipating for since upon hearing Cary Fukunaga was attached to the project around two years ago. Given his exploits with True Detective and the then recently released Beasts of No Nation, it promised to be worth the wait. With Fukunaga at the helm he would bring creative soul at the peak of his powers in both the writing and directing parts of production. However given his unexpected exiting on the project due to creative differences, the hype I had once had somewhat dwindled. Nevertheless, with the Fukunaga original script remaining slightly intact, IT was an enjoyable coming-of-age horror film that suffered from similar problems that have existed alongside recent mainstream horror films. Similarly to Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man, while IT may have been watered down from the possibly original eccentric screenplay, the fingerprints of the creative personnel is still quite evident.

IT, is the adaption of the gargantuan Stephen King horror tale involving a group of misfits known as the ‘Losers’ Club’ who are terrorised by an extra-dimensional being, with its most consistent form being Pennywise the Clown. The original book and the 1990 TV mini-series adaptation, that on reflection is very much an outdated and corny film but hosts a superb Pennywise performance by Tim Curry, both move back and forth from when the Losers are battling Pennywise as children and later when they are adults. This particular adaptation focuses solely on the experience of the children. Through this, IT harnesses the youthful energy of certain Spielbergian tales such as E.T, Abrams’ Super 8 but presents more similarities to the immensely successful Netflix TV series Stranger Things. That level of innocence locked in a terrifying experience is one the main pleasures of the entire film. While trying to heighten the threat of Pennywise, there are many moments of levity with the kids teasing each other and possessing impressive comedic timing.

The strength of the casting is also another positive for this coming of age horror flick. With their being nearly half a dozen members in the Losers Club there is naturally an order of priority, with Bill (Jaeden Lieberher), the older brother of yellow coat wearing Georgie, gathering most of the narrative spotlight. Yet all the characters gain a credible amount of screen time and the script does its best to ground them all in reality. However when talking about casting, look no further that Bill Skarsgard as the infamous Pennywise. His fantastic performances does hold the film together throughout. The utter enjoyment on his face when terrorising these young kids is something to behold. That bulbous head, demonic smile and his, to quote one of the cast members in an interview, “unending amount of drool” provide a devastating point of terror.

That being said strangely enough, given the strength of Skarsgard, IT could have been scarier. Where this horror film falls short is something that appears to be symptomatic in the mainstream horror business at the moment. As Kermode puts it, the obsession with ‘quiet, quiet, bang, bang’ jump scares is all well and good but when overused, the aesthetic becomes monotonous. This is coming from a film buff not overly keen on horror films and I would have wanted it to be a bit creepier. Hoping the film would ditch the typical jump scare sound effects, most commonly associated with films such as Annabelle, Sinister and Insidious, and instead go for the quiet, bone chilling sequences akin to brilliant horror films like It Follows and The Witch.

IT is absolutely destroying the box office but it is safe to assume the film was marketed as a cut and dry horror film. Yet it transpired to be something totally different that was warmly welcomed by myself as I am a very easily scared film viewer. I do imagine that many viewers might feel short changed given the lack of scares, which I understand completely. The film taken as a whole however, IT is a well-executed, well written and well performed coming of age drama with generic horror tendencies – all of which is underpinned by a thrilling performance by Bill Skarsgard. Bring on Chapter Two!