By Geno McGahee
In the near future, we will see one of the most popular films that Stephen King was responsible for remade and it has ruffled some feathers in the horror community. The 1990 made for TV clown horror flick “IT” is considered sacred ground by many, but how sacred is it? Is this film so good that it could not be done any better? Many point to Tim Curry, the original Pennywise the Clown, as irreplaceable, but Will Poulter’s unique look may prove a drastically different interpretation of the character and an equally impressive one.
IT concerns a group of misfit kids that come together to form the “Loser’s Club.” Bill (Jonathan Brandis) is a 12-year-old with a stuttering issue. His younger brother, Georgie, goes outside to play and runs into Pennywise the Clown (Tim Curry). At first, Pennywise is nice, but as soon as he grabs Georgie, he shows his fangs and kills the kid. Ben (Brandon Crane) moves to town and is immediately a target from some greasy bullies because of his weight. Ben develops a crush on Beverly (Emily Perkins), another classmate, and this group starts to form. Asthmatic nerd, Eddie (Adam Faraizi), a kid that thinks he’s funny, Richie (Seth Green), a boy scout without a personality, Stanley (Ben Heller) and the new black kid in town that somehow knows the history of Pennywise, more or less, Mike (Marlon Taylor), make up the rest of this Loser’s Club, and they find power in numbers. That unity helps fight off the bullies which include Henry Bowers (Jarred Blancard) and two friends…one that is only known as “Belch.” Belch lives up to his name, belching in the face of the nerds, but I have to say that when Pennywise kills Belch, it is quite strange to see Henry scream what must be his nickname. BELCH!!!! What was Stephen King thinking here?
Kids are dying in the neighborhood and each of the kids in this group is seeing this clown. None of the adults in the area can see Pennywise, leaving the fight to the Loser’s Club alone to take him down. They chase Pennywise into his lair, which is a sewer, and use weapons like silver earrings and an inhaler to take him down. “This is battery acid you slime,” Eddie screams as he sprays Pennywise with the inhaler, forcing him to retreat. I guess the idea is that Pennywise works on their belief system and if they believe something, it works. So, Eddie, at that moment, convinced himself it was battery acid. Whatever.
The kids make a promise to come back if “it” isn’t dead. They make the vow and then move on with their lives. They all become successful, more or less. Bill (Richard Thomas) is a successful author that makes scary books and has lost his stutter over the years. The stutter returns when he gets a call from Mike (Tim Reid), the only one of the bunch that stayed in Derry. When he informs Bill of the return of Pennywise, Bill immediately goes into a scary flashback. That happens to everyone that Mike calls. I wonder if it’s strictly with his Loser Club friends or if he has that impact on everyone he calls. I feel bad for any pizza guy that he calls, forcing them to relive their worst pepperoni experience.
Eddie (Dennis Christopher) is still a mama’s boy that runs his own limo company, Richie (Harry Anderson) is a famous comedian…and this proves that Stephen King cannot write comedy at all. Not that Harry Anderson is or has ever been remotely funny, but the material he had was terrible. Ben (John Ritter) is super successful at something where he gets hot chicks and tells them about how fat he was when he was a kid. He even says: “You bet your fern”. That sounded like a vagina reference. Stanley (Richard Masur) lives happily with his wife, and Beverly (Annette O’Toole) has become a famous designer with an abusive husband. They all have baggage from the Pennywise experience and they all agree to return to Derry after Mike dramatically calls them.
The first casualty in this is poor Stanley because Pennywise grabbed him as a boy and made him see his dead lights…whatever that is. Instead of coming to Derry, he commits suicide and his wife finds him. Her reaction in this is priceless. That turns the “lucky 7” to the lucky 6 and when they meet up, things get a little strange. The first thing that struck me funny was the reunion between Bill and Beverly. Bill has a wife, Audra (Olivia Hussey), but gives Beverly a passionate kiss the moment he sees her. He probably is figuring that he’s going to die and he may as well get some before Pennywise rips off his head and shits down his throat. She was into it. Actually, she seemed to dig Ben and Ritchie a little too. It’s difficult when you have a female in a group of dudes…especially a flirty one. Poor Eddie, the one that needs it the most, is ignored. You bet your fern he was.
Pennywise starts tormenting them and trying to scare them off and it almost works, but another inspirational speech from Bill brings them together for another go at the killer clown. This is when Stephen King shows his great weakness in storytelling. He can never end a film/book well. I have read most of his novels and they are usually great reads until the end when I want to punch him in the balls. This is the case here when Pennywise is exposed as a big spider. Tim Curry was so amazing in this and to end it in this manner took away from the film, but not as much as one other moment that I found really stupid.
When Bill starts hanging out with Mike, Mike brings out an old bike that they fix up and begin riding together. They start recapturing their youth and the scene is just so silly. Watching them celebrate and ride together at their age is very amusing and that bike comes into play at the end. Pennywise kidnapped Audra and she is now in a coma or something like that. Bill puts her on the front of the bicycle and starts riding her around which makes her come to…somehow. I wonder if that would work on all coma patients…it’s worth a shot. Get an old bike and put that bastard on the front. That’ll fix’em.
A few things that I noticed that I want to bring up. I think that JEEPERS CREEPERS stole a lot from this film. The fact that IT comes every 30 years and hangs bodies from the ceiling like the Creeper does makes me suspicious. The fact that IT has so many young boys in it makes me think that it would be a film of interest to Victor Salva, the creator of the Creeper. Anyone that doesn’t know, Salva is a sex offender…so if you don’t like the comment above, piss off.
This film also features the worst special effect of all time. When the old Henry Bowers is in a nut house, Pennywise helps him escape by becoming a clown with a dog head. The dog in the clown costume looks terrible. On top of that, why didn’t Henry have a room? He was sleeping on a bunk in the hallway. After being locked up for 30 years, you would think that he would have gotten a room through seniority alone, but they keep the poor guy in the hallway and he’s not allowed to leave his bed either.
Stephen King’s IT is a great made for TV movie despite all of its flaws. It is fun and silly at times, and the performances are over the top, but it works. This film is cast very well and you can’t lose with Tim Curry as Pennywise and that is where most of the problem is with the protest of the remake. Curry is a cult icon and to put anyone in that role seems disrespectful to some, but to them I say, grow a set and get over it. If any film could benefit from a true horror remake, it’s IT. IT is a horror movie but it’s a made for TV horror movie which ties its hands. An R rated version could be very scary. There are moments in the made for TV version that are creepy and I could imagine them redone with no restrictions. After watching the original, I am very excited about the remake.
IT is a horror classic with humor, scares and silliness. It’s more than worth a watch and worth a remake. I highly recommend it. You bet your fern I do.
Rating: 8/10
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