On the heels of its record-breaking trailer launch of over a half-billion views and counting, IT is a highly anticipated horror thriller that brings Stephen King’s 1985 global best seller to the big screen for the first time. From acclaimed Argentine director Andy Muschietti, IT transcends the genre by delivering all the tension and jump-out-of-your-seat moments young moviegoers want from a scary movie, as well as likeable, well developed characters, universal coming-of-age themes and nostalgic 1980s setting that extends its appeal to a broad adult audience as a thrilling and emotionally engaging movie.
The film follows seven young outcasts growing up in the small town of Derry, Maine, who band together as the self-dubbed Losers Club to do battle with a terrifying, ancient shape shifter that takes the form of their deepest fears – Pennywise the Dancing Clown.
Bill Skarsgård delivers a truly unforgettable and menacing performance as Pennywise. Much of the film’s iconography is connected to the monstrous Pennywise, including a V-shaped arrangement of his signature red balloons, or a single balloon floating across a nightmarish setting; the magnificently corrupted and haunted house on Neibolt Street; Pennywise’s fantastical subterranean lair; and a yellow rain slicker worn by a doomed child.
Additional thematic elements may also be explored, including 1980s nostalgia, the bonds of friendship, first love, and relatable childhood experiences – from facing bullies to seeing what adults can’t, to overcoming fear.
