Spooky Season 2022: IT (2017) Review

For another review of It, click here.

Let’s face it, clowns are terrifying and Pennywise may easily be the scariest. With a hauntingly old design and brought to life by a spine-chilling performance from Bill Skarsgård, 2017’s incarnation truly is the stuff of nightmares. He alone made IT one of the most terrifying horror movies of 2017 and one of the most memorable horror movies of all time.

After his brother Georgie (Jackson Robert Scott) goes missing, Bill Denbrough (Martell) riddled with guilt searches through the sewers of Derry with the help of friends Richie (Finn Wolfhard) Eddie (Jack Dylan Grazer) and Stanley (Wyatt Oleff), all hoping to find Bill’s younger brother. However, what they discover is far more terrifying and evil. The four soon discover that an evil bloodthirsty clown, known only as Pennywise (Skarsgård), is responsible for kids who have disappeared around town. This leads the group to band together for one haunting summer as they must overcome their own fears to battle the murderous clown.

The camerawork, set up, and pay off of each the film’s scares is brilliantly crafted to give audiences many memorable and unique scares that come quick and are incredibly impactful. The film sets the tone nicely with a shocking and unexpected opening that completely differs from the original 1990s miniseries in the best and most brutal way possible. Muschietti’s direction should be applauded as the film is handcrafted with love and care. The visuals are haunting and undeniable nightmare fuel which are elevated by a terrifying and spine-chilling score along with some eerie sound design. As opposed to a more conventional score, IT uses a horrifying mix of children chanting, screaming and laughing which make for a much more terrifying horror experience. 

But for as haunting as this film is, IT is also quite funny and charming. The young cast are brilliant together and the jokes and insults they hurl at they play off of each other are fun to watch thanks to their great chemistry. Meanwhile, the film also has a lot of heart through plenty of lighter endearing moments as the character develop strong relationships with one another.

Speaking of actors, the aforementioned Skarsgård as Pennywise is phenomenal in a performance like none other. Though incredibly fun to watch he is also utterly disturbing. Unpredictable, chilling and spooky, Skarsgård’s performance is easily one of the best in horror history and arguably the best in all of movie history.

In the end, IT is a brilliantly executed horror film that delivers many memorable and well-crafted moments, haunting sound design, terrifying imagery, and an exceptional performance from Bill Skarsgård. Similarly, the young cast is just as incredible and endearing while the film has a surprising but welcome amount of heart to balance out the horror nicely.

*still courtesy of Warner Bros*

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Olly Dyche

Journalist, Writer, Film Critic and Professional Nerd. You will probably find Olly at the cinema chomping down on some popcorn and taking in the glorious visuals of the latest theatrical release.