With summer dwindling, “It” is the perfect jumpstart into the Halloween season. On September 8th, 2017 Andy Muschietti released an outstanding adaptation of Stephen King’s 1986 novel, epitomizing all there is to love about 80s horror. With a captivating plot and a great cast, “It” has left its audiences wanting more.
Stephen King, an iconic author, has a way of generating stories that feed into your greatest fears and insecurities. Not only does he draw attention to your darkest thoughts and desires, but he forces you to confront why you find them so scary in the first place. With a mastermind like King yanking the chains, it is no wonder that a thriller like “It” has successfully forged such a dedicated audience. In fact, Stephen King’s fans have even been dressing up as Pennywise to see the movie and tying red balloons to their car to warn others when It is near.
The story takes place in the small town of Derry, the type of town where you would imagine a horrifying clown like Pennywise taking sanctuary. From absentee parents to a mysterious past, it is the perfect place for a fear eating creature to start hunting.
The opening scene takes place on a dreary day with Georgie, a young boy, chasing after a paper boat that has landed in the gutter. There, he comes eye to eye with the antagonist of the tale, the murderous, shape-shifting beast referred to as It. From there, the story kicks off with a small clique of nerdy boys who are looking forward to a summer chock full of adventures on their bikes and avoiding the town’s bullies. But, with the recent kidnappings and deaths occurring repeatedly, they agree to take a stand together, to conquer their fears.
The movie has even struck the hearts of some of our Webbies who shared their reactions to the recent blockbuster. According to Logan Cignoli (‘18), “It’s a cool movie. It’s stylish and sweet and the kids are all funny. The scares are creative and surreal but the movie also chooses to focus on the coming of age elements of the book. It’s the type of big-budget horror movie we rarely get nowadays which is awesome to see.”
Chelsea Chen (‘18), went into the theatre oblivious to the plot but was pleasantly surprised, “I’m not scared of clowns at all, but overall, I thought the movie had a really good balance of horror, thrill, and humor.”
Riya, on the other hand, knew what she was getting into but agreed, “It was such a good movie and I have a love-hate relationship with horror movies.”
Now, for most of you, going to a movie that will force you to sleep with the lights on for the next month may not sound like the ideal way to spend your Friday night. However, I urge you to take a second look when it comes to “It” because it is so much more than your everyday thriller; it’s a glimpse into conquering your fears and facing the monster hiding underneath your bed.
