Review of It (2017) by Jon P — 01 Nov 2017

Pennywise the Dancing Clown gets a pointless 2017 makeover in one of this year's many 'must-see' reboots. That much can be guessed from glancing at the poster, but harder to anticipate is the fact that 'It' or, to be more specific, 'It: Chapter One', is actually a pretty darn good movie.

In his efforts to convince us that REALLY LOUD NOISES are the scariest scares, director Andy Muschietti manages to deliver a genuinely creepy, heart-wrenching horror film. On more than one occasion, he even almost manages to prove that really loud noises - when coupled with mounting suspense, spot-on timing and grisly body horror - perhaps really ARE the scariest scares.

For the most part, however, the film is less horror and more heartfelt action adventure, evoking many of the great all boys' adventure pictures of the 1980s - where Muschietti has wisely chosen to keep this version of 'It' set. More importantly, the 'adventure' aspect is sufficiently padded out with chunky enough characters and clever enough pacing to ensure the film is never as boring as the yawn-worthy Tim Curry TV movie it sets out to recreate.

Muschietti is a talent to watch out for and 'It: Chapter One' is a solid retro horror flick fit for the modern age. The film brings contorted faces and distorted nightmares to life in a way the old film could never quite pull off.