IT

Growing up as a kid in the 80´s, adventure and drama films became a big part of my childhood. And i am especially thinking about 2 movies, where legendary actor Corey Feldman was included. The Goonies and Stand By Me. These 2 films was playing in my VHS player, so many times, i can´t remember how many times i watched them. There were something magical about these films, especially The Goonies. But i have to say, Stand By Me was magical as well, but in a completely different way. The young cast may be a big part of this, because they really managed to make their characters special. Speaking of Stand By Me, did you know that this film is based on the Stephen King novel The Body ? I have not read the book, but i have to say that director Rob Reiner managed to make a really good film. Author Stephen King have written so many great books, for so many years. I have only read a few of his novels, but the ones i have read, i enjoyed very much. And during the 80´s, there were a lot of films made, based by Stephen King novels. Most of you have probably seen the classic film The Shining, Pet Sematary or perhaps Firestarter with a very young Drew Barrymore ? There are of course plenty of films we could mention, but let´s focus on one novel called It. The novel was released in 1986, and became very popular, and loved by readers worldwide. When the novel was to be turned into a TV miniseries, based on the novel, there were many people curious to see if they could manage to capture the feeling of the novel, with Pennywise The Clown. The TV miniseries was released in 1990, in 2 episodes, where actor Tim Curry turned out to be the most frightening clown ever. His performance was so good, that people were really scared of clowns. I really enjoyed this TV series adaptation of the classic novel, and over the years i have watched the whole package on a nice blu ray release. After many years, and a lot of rumors, it turns out that a completely new remake would be on the way, of the film IT. When i heard that Swedish actor Bill Skarsgård would play the legendary clown Pennywise, i was mostly surprised to see him take on this role. Knowing that fans of Stephen King, are very picky on how film adaptations are made, i knew this would be a big challenge, if it would be a worthy remake. When the trailer finally landed, it was clear that this could be really good. There was only one way to find out, so of course i got a ticket after the Swedish premiere, just to see if IT would surprise me. Do we finally have one of the best Stephen King film adaptations in many years, or is this one remake they never should have made at all ?

In October 1988, stuttering young teenager Bill Denbrough ( Jaeden Lieberher ) helps his little brother Georgie Denbrough ( Jackson Robert Scott ) to make a paper sailboat. Georgie runs out to try it out in the rain, as the boat quickly sails away, as Georgie falls and hit himself. Georgie see the paper sailboat go down into a storm drain. Down there, a mysterious clown shows up, named Pennywise ( Bill Skarsgård ). Pennywise asks if Georgie wants his paper sailor boat back, only to trick him down there to kill him. A year have almost passed, and the summer of 1989 have started. Bill and his friends Richie Tozier ( Finn Wolfhard ), Eddie Kaspbrak ( Jack Dylan Grazer ), and Stanley Uris ( Wyatt Olef ) meet violent bully Henry Bowers and his gang. Bully victim, the new kid on town, Ben Hanscom ( Jeremy Ray Taylor ) joins Bill´s group, called Losers Club. Ben have read about the history surrounding the disappeared teenagers, that have been going on for centuries in this town. Bill is still hoping to find Georgie alive, while his friend will help him look for evidence. The newest member of Losers Club, Beverly Marsh ( Sophia Lillis ), also want to help the boys. But when the evidence turns towards the mysterious clown Pennywise, they are about to taste what lies beneath the darkness.

Since 2017 is moving towards the final months of this year, i have to say that only a few horror films have turned out to be really good. And i am very happy to say, IT is without a doubt one of the horror highlights of this year. I would say that this remake is almost like Stand By Me, but with a much more disturbed horror twist. One thing i think what makes this film work so well, is the fact that it actually takes place in a small town, in the 80´s. With the young cast, and the time period of the 80´s, everything matches just the way we could wish for. Speaking about the young cast, we have a lot of really good child / teenager actors in here. I especially want to tell you how excellent the actor Finn Woldhard is, as the loud mouth Richie. His comedy timing is outstanding, and i found myself laughing many times throughout the film. Actor Sophia Lillis as the only girl Beverly, in the Losers Club, also give a really solid performance. I would say that all the actors in the Losers Club, give each character something interesting to share with us. Big brother Bill ( by actor Jaeden Lieberher ) of missing Georgie, is one of the characters you always feel sorry for. Not knowing what happened to his little brother, and living with the grief, is very difficult, and he manage to capture this in his performance. Director Andy Muschietti is perhaps known for his horror film Mama, released in 2013. This film turned out to fail for me, simply because of the CGI design of Mama herself, looked really awful. From this film, and doing a remake of IT, turns out to be the biggest shock of this year. This remake is a masterpiece, compared to Mama, if you compare these films from a horror perspective. This does not mean that IT is a masterpiece in general, but it is very clear that director Andy Muschietti have really tried to make a remake, that respects the ground material. I would even say that this film is better than the TV miniseries from 1990. Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise The Clown, turns out to be better than i expected. He does his own interpretation of the horrifying clown, and i have to say that he does a really good job. The atmosphere, surrounding the mystery of vanished kids, works really well with the story, as the kids try and search for the truth. IT is a must see for all horror fans this autumn. I seriously doubt any film will scare you as much as this remake does. The year is not completely finished, but we could be looking at the best horror film of 2017, unless something magical happens. One thing is for sure, if i see a clown downtown, i know what to hit with my car.

Rating: DDDD


P.S. Make sure to see Corey Feldman on his extended Coreys Angels Tour in U.S. this autumn, and for his upcoming European Tour in 2018, it is going to be awsome.