🎈 Overview
As strange as it may sound, ‘It (2017)’ serves both as a spine-chilling and strangely gentle adaptation of King’s work. It attempted to bridge clowns, childhood, and cosmic horror into one narrative. The film, which came out in 2017, was directed by Andy Muschietti. It is not only about weird sewers or the skin-shifting monster– it focuses on growing up in a world that’s rampant with fear, trauma, and secrets that we prefer brushing under the carpet.
This is the first chapter of the two-part saga which brings us back to Maine’s cursed town, Derry. Here, we meet once again, Pennywise the Dancing Clown, a monstrous entity who arises once every 27 years, to feast on children’s worst fears. However, what renders ‘It’ powerful is neither Pennywise’s sinister grin nor his snarl, but the strong figurative center of seven misfit kids—The Losers’ Club—who choose to stand against the horror when everyone else is paralyzed with fear.
Mixing psychological terror and heartwarming friendship, nostalgia from the 80s, and rusty rusty rusty spine-chilling storytelling, It (2017) becomes far more complex classification-wise than most films. It becomes a tale of not just fighting against our surroundings but the monsters that lurk within us as well.
🧠Plot overview
Georgie Denbrough disappears in ‘88. It turns out chasing after a paper boat leads to a storm drain and it within resides a reality far darker than we imagine.
A year after Georgie went missing, his brother Bill’s grief caused him to unite with other social outcasts: Beverly, Ben, Richie, Mike, Stan, and Eddie, in an attempt to solve the mystery behind the missing children of Derry. As they start investigating, they find out that all of them are trapped in horrifying visions of their worst fears, which are actually being controlled by a living monster that dwells in Derry IT.
It doesn’t matter what Pennywise does, he never fails to torture his victims psychologically . The real weapon are the bonds shared between the kids, the shared trauma, and their bravery. These are what enables them to tackle their fear. They go down to the sewer to face him one last time, where confronting the beast forces them to confront their guilt, shame, and hurt.
🎭 Main Cast & Characters
Jaeden Martell as Bill Denbrough
Hauntede by the guilt of Georgie’s death, puts him in the lead, which flows to him naturally. He possesses the deepest empathy and humanity through characters like a stutter, trauma, and quiet strength.
Sophia Lillis as Beverly Marsh
One and only Beverly stands out in the group as the girl. She appears strong, but is actually hiding abuse from home and a stigma from the rest of the town. Raw emotion impossible to find in a horror movie can be added through Lilis’s performance which shows stunning depth.
Finn Wolfhard as Richie Tozier
As a rude “stand-up” comedian, Richie hides his fears behind sarcasm, and Wolfhard delivers some of the film’s most memorable lines. Overall, Richie is considered a secondary character and comic relief, though Wolfhard turns him into a much more commanding presence.
Jeremy Ray Taylor as Ben Hanscom
Taylor plays the character as the shy, intelligent new kid with a crush on Beverly, but is passionate about Derry’s dark history. His vulnerability and quiet strength are important for the group, which is shaped solely by outcasts.
Chosen Jacobs as Mike Hanlon
Even in a group of outcasts, Mike is an amalgam of a stranger to strangers. His traumatizing past and subtle participation into observing the events unfold provide a different insight into the ongoing happenings.
Jack Dylan Grazer as Eddie Kaspbrak
Eddie is a hypochondriac. An illness that many consider normal. He was raised by an overbearing mother which only turned his illness into a more extreme form of anxiety. The climax of the film marks Eddie’s most satisfying transformation—anxiety into bravery, with an extended measure of courage.
Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise
Unlike all other clowns, Skarsgård’s Pennywise is childlike and unpredictable, but also chilling. With jerky movements, red balloons, and a mercilessly fluctuating voice that rolls with playful predator. He steals all the scenes and not just in the figurative sense.
🎬 Direction, Cinematography & Style
Muschietti with It paints Derry as a town devoid of its real self and appearing to be consumed with internal evil. The town is enveloped in a thick cloud of shared denial that tortures habitants. Andy instills Derry with an atmosphere devoid of life.
The cinematography contains stark contrasts, like the quiet trauma of abandoned houses in the backdrop of gory bathrooms, cut with bright summer days. The blend ranges from daydream-like to jarringly abrupt, encapsulating the surreal experience of fear.
To accentuate suspense while doing so tastefully, Benjamin Wallfisch blends eerie lullabies with sharp, rising strings. Emotionally laden edits balance the terrifying payoffs at the end of a slow burn.
🔍 Themes & Symbolism
Childhood Fear as Metaphor
Every Loser’s Club member encounters a deeply personal fear that parallels demons they cannot articulate: sexuality, racism, grief, guilt, and neglect. Pennywise simply heightens existing trauma.
The Power of Friendship
One of the marked distinctions of It from most horror movies is this amalgamation of strength; the Loser’s Club isn’t dispatched by the creators of dread to be targeteded and isolated, but instead are kept together as a collective force.
Courage in Children, Denial in Adults
Ignoring and not actively seeing the horror of Derry is an adult pastime. This serves to highlight a different kind of chilling commentary: kids, all too often, must learn to take on the role of defender.
The Cycle of Trauma
“It awakens every 27 years.” This line stands not only in essence of Pennywise, but reinforcing trauma that is bound to repeat itself when unresolved, generation after generation.
📅 Production & Release Details
Director: Andy Muschietti
Screenwriters: Gary Dauberman, Cary Fukanaga, Chase Palmer
Based on: Stephen King’s IT – 1986
Language: English
Release Date: September 8, 2017
Country: United States
Runtime: 135 Minutes
Budget: 35 Million Dollars
Box Office: 701 Million Dollars
Production Companies: New Line Cinema, Vertigo Entertainment, Katz/Smith Productions
🎯 Critical & Audience Reception
Metacritic: 69 (Generally favorable)
IMDb: 7.3/10
RT: 86% (Certified Fresh)
“It” marked King’s themes while modernizing the plot on screen, which critics applauded. Fans gave praise for the on-screen chemistry among the child actors and Skarsgård’s terrifying portrayal of Pennywise. Most considered this film a rare horror show that had emotional depth.
Expert reception aside, “It” succeeded in capturing non-horror fans because of the high level of emotional engagement, which is rare for horror films.
Pennywise instantly revived as a pop culture phenomenon. The movie inspired memes, storm drain costumes, global fear, and brought back his fame to a new generation of children.
Despite having too much makeup on for some viewers, Skarsgård’s portrayal of Pennywise received glowing praise.
🏆 Cultural Impact
The film is regarded as the highest-grossing horror film of all time, until surpassed by Joker in genre-blending categories.
The success was the stepping stone for It: Chapter Two (2019), which focused on the adult Losers returning to Derry.
🎈 Why You Should Watch It
IT (2017) manages to incorporate a blend of dread-filled atmosphere alongside powerful emotional themes; this stems from recalling life memories, grief, and the power of a united front. If you are a fan of Stephen King, psychological horror, or even thrillers centered around children having to muster courage to face challenges, this movie will not disappoint.
Watch Free Movies on yesmovies