The 2017 remake of IT is a return to the classic horror movies of the 80’s. Horror movies today are taking turns to cheap scares. They keep their antagonist heartless and just plain evil as one dimensional characters. IT does something different.

Like the book and the last movie, the story takes place in Derry, Maine. The town is a character in itself. We see a small history of Derry and that it was riddled with tragedy and problems of its own. The time period it is set in is well used too. The 80s is easily personified in this movie. So many movies like Guardians of the Galaxy and Stranger Things have successfully implemented the nostalgia factor of the 1980s and IT does the exact same thing. Whether it´s references to bands or seeing Batman and Nightmare on Elm Street at the local movie theater we are fully tricked into believing that these kids live in a living and breathing place with a full history and realism.

The movie IT starts with a young boy, Georgie, encountering Pennywise the Dancing Clown in a rain gutter. His disappearance leads his brother Bill and his friends from the losers club banding together to find Pennywise and face each of their fears. Each character has their own fears and challenges to overcome. They’re easily distinguishable and work greatly and well among each other. One of my only few gripes of the movie would be that the scary tone is sometimes lost by too much humor but it is sometimes used to make the viewer feel safe right before a scare.

While watching IT, I was reminded constantly of the classic Freddy Kruger, from the Nightmare on Elm Street. He is an evil character, but has fun with it. You can tell he enjoys instilling fear into his victims as he chases them through their dreams. That’s very similar to Pennywise in IT. Personally, I found him to be terrifying and hilarious at the same time. He is a clown and he takes up the persona with great grace. He enjoys making fun of his victims and playing with his food. As he keeps going you can see the true monster he is behind the persona. Actor Bill Skarsgård was fantastic at blending to two elements of the character and making a brilliant portrayal that equals if not is greater than Tim Curry’s portrayal.

Another great aspect of this movie are the young actors. Fans of Stranger Things will be excited to see Finn Wolfhard appear as Richie Tozier in a very similar yet very different role. Jaeden Lieberger and Sophia Lillis are great in their roles as ´Stuttering´ Bill Denbrough and Beverly Marsh. The rest of the characters are strong strong as well with their own flaws and personalities.

IT does what horror remakes have been lacking. It brings the old movie into the new age, adding elements it didn’t have before but keeping the things that made it loved in the first place. Other horror movies coming out now will hopefully take note of what this movie has done. Overall, 8/10.

(Picture for poster used in feature from IMDb.)