★★★★ Watched 24 Jan, 2020

Finally a remake of a Stephen King’s story worthy of the effort and time. I watched the original 3h miniseries as a teenager and even though I don’t remember much more than a lackluster ending with a giant spider, I did enjoy it and the image of Tim Curry’s creepy killer clown got forever etched into my memory.

The story calls for creepy scenes that need a wild imagination that could have only been realized in the era of digital VFX. And this version doesn’t let down in that department at all. I feel that Stranger Things contributed to the comeback of 80s movies involving groups of kids going on various adventures, so it is not surprising the cast includes one of the young actors Finn Wolfhard from Stranger Things. The whole young cast is actually pretty good, especially Sophia Lillis. Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise is mesmerizing and creepy to a degree that has immediately imprinted itself in modern popular culture.

Now that I’m over 40 I noticed I shy away from horror, which was one of my favorite genres as a kid and I prefer either fantasy and sci-fi or comedy, action and drama. I guess I have enough “horror” in my daily life, so I don’t need more of it in my escapism. This one was done with a style that pushed into the realm of psychological horror, which suits me these days.

P.S. It is important for a younger audience to see how evergreen the themes of bullying and domestic abuse have become, now that we as a global culture stopped turning a blind eye to them.

Source: Letterboxd
Info: IMDb