I wouldn’t call myself a “horror film connoisseur,” but I do enjoy watching horror movies and watch them often. The R-rated film “IT,” directed by Andrés Muschietti, definitely had one of the most well-thought-out horror narratives I’ve seen, and it was phenomenally played out.  

Right from the get go, “IT” got major attention all throughout the country. People were instantly spooked when the trailer was first released on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

“IT” the movie was a spinoff of first a book, written by Stephen King, and then the miniseries, directed by Tommy Lee Wallace, that aired in 1990. I’ve never seen the series or read the book, so I can’t make a comparison; however, I can’t deny that I really enjoyed the movie.

Like I said, the film was more than just pop-outs and creepy music. Muschietti incorporated real-life issues that affect countless amounts of people. He covered topics like rape, mental illness, teen drug abuse, high school bullies and loss of family members, and he did it all through child actors.

I was extremely impressed by the emotion the characters portrayed in their scenes. Jaeden Lieberher, who played one of the main characters, Billy, especially stuck out to me. I was immediately sucked into his tense, skittish nature as soon as the movie started.  

The beginning of the film may start out confusing to some because of the many different characters and perspectives that are introduced with little explanation. I got a bit impatient, but soon found out that it was worth the wait once everything was pieced together.

Nevertheless, Muschietti does not at all cheat his audience of on-screen suspense as Pennywise the clown, played by Bill Skarsgård, makes an appearance within the first five minutes of the film. The suspense picks up when “missing” signs go up for multiple children who live in the town. Here, Muschietti leaves room for the audience to make interpretations and predictions which I really liked.

Each character struggles with their own issues or fears and this is how Skarsgård’s character is tied into the storyline. I took Muschietti’s decision of making him a clown as symbolism, as clowns are a common fear of not only children but some adults too.

Every child also has their own interaction with Pennywise as the film proceeds on; although, each interaction is not always played out in the same way. He impersonates different identities to represent each person having a different fear– zombies, abusive parents etc.

Muschietti utilizes a diverse cast including multiple races and religions. This is crucial in any film because everyone is so different, so this gives every viewer someone to relate with.

There are some stereotypical horror movie qualities to “IT,” examples being an abandoned house and typical background music of children giggling. Although creepy, I expected more.

Regardless, I was willing to look past the chlichés because the movie was actually hilarious; I caught myself laughing out-loud multiple times. I would say though that the comedy aspect is not suitable for young ages.

This film gets an 8/10 from me. I wasn’t jumping out of my seat in terror, but the topics the film embraces made “IT” particularly memorable.