The 450th film I have seen in theaters…
So, yeah. I am may have a slight issue with clowns…
Why the hell am I doing this to myself
Every 27 years IT, a demonic entity appearing as “Pennywise the dancing clown” , awakens from it’s slumber to feast on the children of Derry Maine. It is the summer of 1989, Batman is in the theaters and IT has returned. A group of children, all targeted by Pennywise, decide to fight back against the evil as IT fights back with their deepest fears.
Tim Curry scarred a generation of children with his rendition of Pennywise. Bill Skarsgård steps into some big (clown) shoes and delivers. His performance was pure terror, for me at least. I felt a cold shiver down my spine and got goosebumps all over during his scenes. I am not a fan of clowns. I find them creepy. In a strange twist of fate, I happen to know many men who are trained as honest to god Clowns. They are Shriners.
The Shrine clowns do a lot of good in their communities. They march in parades, cheer up the sick children in the many Shriner hospitals, and are generally awesome people. I love them and love what they do. I would also not hesitate to kick any of them in the gonads if they jumped out at me in a dark alley. Pennywise is a big part of my phobia,.
He also had an assist from that fuckin’ clown doll in Poltergeist.
Child casting is incredibly difficult. Through some sort of Hollywood voodoo, the production team has found a perfect group of actors.
Jaeden Lieberher was outstanding as Bill. He didn’t overdo the stuttering and was a believable leader of the group.
Jeremy Ray Taylor is Ben. What struck me is how great this kid was when acting just with his eyes. You saw the hurt, you saw the affection he has for Bev. Great acting.
Sophia Lillis KILLED it as Beverly. Her character’s incredibly painful home life was made all the more powerful due to her performance. This is an actress to watch for as she grows up.
Finn Wolfhard nearly stole the damn movie with his Richie. He never shuts up and everything the kid says is pure gold. The mouth on this kid! I’ve been putting off Stranger Things, but this fella makes me want to binge it immediately.
Jack Grazer is Eddie. His hypochondria was a great source of comedy, and when he finally stands up to his mother, the kid really shines.
Chosen Jacobs is Mike. Although he had some great character building, I thought he was underutilized. Much of Mike’s function in the story went to Ben, but his importance in the 2nd chapter would make up for a lot of that.
Wyatt Oleff is Stan. His subplot of preparing for his Bar Mitzvah reinforces the coming of age theme. Other than that, and a few scares scene, Stan doesn’t do very much in the film. As for Chapter two, let’s just say that Stan really only has one thing to do in the next film…
Dark.
Nicholas Hamilton is the bully, Henry Bowers. He was an evil little shit, but he never reached the level of importance, or threat, he was afforded in the mini-series or book. This is a shame as the kid is a good actor. look him up in Captain Fantastic.
Poor Jackson Scott is Georgie. He is such an adorable little boy. His terrifying screams, and gushing blood are burned into my mind…
This wasn’t just a damn good horror film, it was a damn good film. The production design was awesome. The sound and music were on point. The writing for these kids was honest to god perfection. This is easily the best Stephen King adaptation to date. This will probably be remembered as one of the best horror films ever made. Bring on Chapter TWO!!!!!
8/10 (I refuse to give that goddamn clown a higher score)
The Skinny from the Fatty 
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