Everyone has something that they fear. It could be something as simple as meeting new people, taking a test, darkness, or something inevitable like death. Fear is real. Fear is primal. It can reveal who someone is at their core.
Stephen King’s IT demonstrates how controlling and crippling fear is. The film features a group of teenagers who find themselves as outcastes in their small town of Derry, Maine. Billie, in seeking to find the truth about his brother’s disappearance finds himself and his friends being pursued and terrorized by the demonic Pennywise the Dancing Clown who seeks to feast on their fears.
Despite a monster like Pennywise, audiences quickly realize that he is the least scary thing about this film. IT allows for the audience to become fully enveloped by the monsters that each of these kids face in their daily lives. The film helps the audience to understand the reality of fear and how impactful it can be in someone’s life.
IT is charming in its ability to capture the innocence of youth and tests of friendship. The film is the best adaptation of a Stephen King work in a long while. It is accessible to audiences who are avid fans or those who have never picked up one of his books. It is remarkable in helping to link old fans and new to the story of how one town is held captive by fear.
4/5
