The contemptuous clown Pennywise is stalking the sewers of the small-town Derry once again, and trust me, folks, you will be terrified. Sure, the miniseries is a classic and has left a mark that will stand the test of time with the generation the series was geared towards. However, this new version will none the less give you nightmares and make you laugh and want to become part of the “losers club.”

In my opinion, IT has been the most anticipated horror film of the year, and like a first date, I was very constrictive and cautious going in, I was afraid of the disappointment that occurs more often than I would like to think.

So, I kept my distance, didn’t see the trailer right away, stayed away from the many articles of speculation that floated through my social media feeds, and that was not an easy exercise. A few days before the viewing of the film I slowly opened up and allowing everything in.

As a child of the 80s’, I began to develop a taste for a high expectation of what I wanted to see on the silver screen, and Andy Muschietti amazingly captured the adolescent innocence from a decade once forgotten. IT had no problem tapping into the 80s nostalgia while staying faithful to the foundation of King’s novel as a coming-of-age story in a dangerous world.

The film possesses the same power and quality of cult classics like The Goonies and Stand By Me, this is the reason the film works very well in the 80s’ tradition. IT sure as hell doesn’t lack capturing the tradition of King’s Novel while delivering something new.

IT focuses on the childhood portions of King’s book and the film does an extraordinary job of allowing the viewer to fall head over heels for the characters in the movie, especially the kids of the “losers club.”  Capturing the essence of each child’s backstory, we bare witness to dysfunctional family lives in every way possible.

From the overbearing “helicopter mother,” the abusive father, the family stricken with grief, and the latchkey kid the cast and crew capture not only the essence of the dysfunctional families but bring to light how brutal bullying can be and the safeguards that are not in existence to protect.

The children all have each other for support and comfort as these poor kids deal with horrible situations, but this allows the audience to grow closer to each one as we are taken on a journey through their everyday childhood traumas. The screenplay, co-written by Cary Fukunaga precisely knew what he was doing when writing the dialogue for these characters, filling the kids with F-bombs and your-momma jokes; driving the film to generate an unforgettable laughter from the audience as the scene shifts and the terror begins.

Bill Skarsgård’s approach to Pennywise is devastatingly brutal. Unpredictable, Pennywise can appear at any given time, and that is the uneasy part, playing off the kids worst fears, like a game. Personally, I cannot relinquish this shift shaping savage out from my mind, just the mear thought of the clown’s smile spooks me. Skarsgård’s Pennywise is the new terrifying face of horror for generations to come.  

IT will not only create havoc amongst our characters but the audience as well, tapping into our fears. For me, the dark and wet basement scene were enough to generate elusive nightmares that plagued my mind for days after. (A spoiler free mini review, so I will not elaborate further). IT is the best big-screen King adaptation that we have had in quite some time.

This Monster will be the revival of the genre and I am sure will open the doors for things to come as our beloved horror films of the past once achieved. The film has something to offer every fan of cinema and achieves the greatness of horror. With twisted visual effects, IT will not stall on delivery.

Floating on by with a run time of 2 hours and 15 minutes, IT can be found showing in your local theatre beginning today and releasing nationwide on September 8th.