by Kerrigan Herret
The long-awaited (27 years, to be precise) horror film IT debuted from beneath the sewers on September 8, 2017. Since its release, it has surpassed horror box office records and become the highest grossing R-rated horror film of all time.
As one of the most anticipated films of the year, IT sparks hype within both young and old viewers alike. It is a new and exciting storyline for youngsters who have never been exposed to Tommy Lee Wallace‘s original adaptation of Stephen King‘s novel back in 1990; for adults who lived through the horror Tim Curry‘s Pennywise invoked in them, it presents nostalgia and something to scare both themselves and their children with.
The film wastes no time in hooking viewers with its chilling musical score and haunting scenes to accompany it. Bill Skarsgård‘s portrayal of the fear-feeding Pennywise is introduced within minutes of the opening scene and leaves nothing to the imagination that this is not a clown to invite to a party.
IT has elements of pure terror, but also of humor. With an endearing cast of young teenagers, IT meshes joking youthfulness with sheer horror on their quest to defeat the thing that nobody wants to believe is real. Anthony Muschietti‘s adaptation captures an impressive perspective from the youngsters starring in the film, drawing close attention to their parents’ lack of belief that something more sinister is lurking within Derry.
The film earns its R-rating with language, horror, and gore. There is no shortage of blood and clever one-liners that will either make the viewer cringe or laugh out loud.
IT grips viewers from its inception and refuses to let go until the last minutes of the film. From the hair-raising, growling laughs of Pennywise the Dancing Clown to the blood-curdling screams of the children he terrorizes, IT fails to disappoint as the perfect movie for this Halloween season. 
