It, Chapter 1, 2017
“Welcome to the Losers Club, asshole!”
Spook Factor: 👻👻👻👻 out of 👻👻👻👻👻
The glory of It is that it has a little something for everyone, which is why I give it a solid 4 out of 5 ghouls. From the realistic horrors of child abuse and bullying to the paranormal terrors of killer clowns and pants-peeing visions of dead bodies coming for you in a sewer, this movie builds tension to intense sequences without too many jump scares, which is a great thing in a horror film, imo. The film uses excellent special effects and a great soundtrack to keep the tension building and release it so you can pay attention to the story and characters, not just Pennywise, the creepiest clown on the big screen.
With the wide array of potentially disturbing content in this movie, I strongly advise reviewing the lists below if you have any sensitivities to blood, gore, or violence. I do not recommend allowing kids under 12 to watch this movie unless they deserve nightmares. More than a dozen jump scares are nothing compared to the dozens of intense sequences.
CWs: clowns (the super creepy kind), disturbing imagery (various throughout), blood, dismemberment, burned flesh, racism, mild antisemitism (child ignorance), violence (knife in flesh, impalement), hypochondria, child abuse (unhealthy child-parent relationships, including Munchausen by Proxy), disembodied voices, mention of a house fire, obviously broken limb, exsanguination, murder, sexualization of a child, child death
OWs: bullying, strong language, sexual innuendo, very dark humor, mentions of drug addiction/use, intimidating a child with a gun, animal butchering (implied)
Jump Scares (in chronological order):
“Bill’s gonna kill me!”
“Take it, Georgie.”
Ben sees someone on the stairs.
A balloon floats down the sewer to a lone teenager.
Bill sees that the footprints end.
Pennywise reaches up to grab Georgie.
Pennywise disappears from the projected photo on the wall.
“Betty?” “Ripsom?”
Richie hears clown laughter.
Richie closes the coffin lid.
Bill and Richie open the door that’s “not scary at all.”
“It was real enough for Georgie.”
Beverly looks at her dad on the bathroom floor.
“Beverly? Is that you?”
Stanley looks around the tunnel with his flashlight.
Eddie falls into the gray water looking for Bill.
What to Expect:
Stephen King’s classic story is updated with better visuals, an easier-to-follow storyline, and less cocaine-fueled weirdness than the book (trust me, it’s a good thing). This installment follows the Losers Club in a more intimate way than the original with Tim Curry, focusing solely on the bullied group of pre-teen misfits as they discover exactly what’s happening in their quiet New England town. The core elements from the book shine brightly: friendship in the face of adversity, facing your fears, and standing together against evil. Want to see how they deal with the terrifying forces under their hometown as adults? Check out the sequel, It, Chapter 2.
