Stephen King's Adaptation Of Pennywise The Clown

Twenty-seven years ago, a television miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s It was released, and elevated from its poor production quality by the stellar performance of Tim Curry as the antagonist. Although from a humble beginning, the program became a cult classic, with Pennywise the Clown now remembered as one of the great horror movie villains. Like the monster in the story, twenty-seven years later; a new adaptation has been released. Does the new It manage to elevate itself beyond a creepy clown movie? I’m glad to say it does in many surprising ways, giving a great package that all audiences will be able to take something away from. The story follows a group of youngsters in Derry, Maine that form a bond as the “Loser’s Club” while confronted by bullies, and a common clown character that appears in their dreams. The group is comprised of seven great child actors, a rarity in many films. They are all written well, and

Not trying to emulate Tim Curry’s classic performance was the best choice for the film, and Skarsgård offers a creepier version of the “Dancing Clown”, more animalistic than the previous rendition. Although the character is played well, there is little exposition or explanation back to what the character is. This may seem like an issue to someone who knows nothing of the story, but this is a major benefit to the story. In the novel, the character more resembles a Lovecraftian horror rather than a psychopath, with a ridiculous explanation that can only be explained by that Stephen King wrote it in his highly drugged period. With a backstory that involves a giant space turtle that carries the world on its back, it makes sense, and is a fantastic choice to exclude this information from the story. Known as one of the great horror monsters of all time; Pennywise the Clown has scared audiences for nearly three decades, and will continue to do so with this new