What About "IT"?

I am a pretty big Steven King fan.  Not of his books but of his movies.  Storm of the Century and The Shining are two of my favorite Steven King movies, but I also enjoy Pet Semetery,  Carrie, and Christine.  So you can imagine my excitement when I found out that there was a remake of IT being released. 

If there was one fact that tempered my excitement, it was that the original film, which was shown as one movie with flashbacks, was being divided into two separate movies.  Foolish, needless, worrying because the movie has such a definitive end that I didn't even give it a second thought.  

I even found that I liked it more than the original movie because, let's face it, flashbacks can be confusing.  I generally like Tim Curry but Bill Skarsgard was phenomenal in the role of Pennywise.  The make-up played a role in upping his creepiness level too. 

Tim Curry as the original Pennywise

Bill Skarsgard in the current IT movie

  

Kids in the cast

If I had one complaint it would be that I was not of fan of the opening scene.  Unlike the previous made for TV movie, this film has an R rating...and for a good reason. It is violent and brutal and the number of killings in this version (and not all of it by Pennywise) increased exponentially.  The suspense is ratcheted up as well with several "jump scares" and a load of psychological torture going on.  

Still, nothing would have prepared me for the unsettling scene of the vicious attack on a child depicted in the opening scene.  I object vehemently to that scene and strongly feel that the movie would have maintained the same effect even if they would have made Georgie's killing a little (OK A LOT) less harsh.  

I would love to see the movie again but have no desire to see that scene again - ever.