For horror nerds, this past week marked a much-anticipated end to an agonizing wait.
It’s been two years since Andy Muschietti’s IT (2017) floated into our hearts – and nightmares. Especially since it also went on to become the highest grossing horror film of all time after dethroning the then-long-reigning champion, The Exorcist. But for many (me included), the recent release of It: Chapter Two marks an even longer awaited milestone. Like a comet passing Earth or cryptid encounter – this is a rarely seen event: an actually accurate adaptation of a Stephen King story.
Please, please, please – Hollywood – don’t fuck this part up!
Image Source: IMDB/Brooke Palmer/Warner Brothers Entertainment
It’s obvious that even the most casual horror fan remembers the beloved IT made-for-TV miniseries from 1990 that has become a cult favorite. And while that adaptation was an honorable attempt to tell the 1,300-page horror opus, the fact that the ABC network produced and broadcasted the two-night event pretty well guaranteed that many of the darker, violent, and more sexual elements of the story wouldn’t make the cut.
Now, don’t get me wrong – Tim Curry as Pennywise will never be forgotten. At the very least, that element of terror from King’s story was definitely retained in the miniseries. Hell, it’s the biggest thing most horror fans remember about it! How badass his take on the infamous dancing clown truly is.
Tim Curry as Pennywise | Image Source: IMDB/Warner Brothers Television/ABC
But when it comes to anyone that’s read the book, it’s a little different. Those readers don’t walk away from the ending only retaining the scary parts—they remember the Losers. They remember all the heart that King poured into his prose, literally hundreds of pages developing the soul-bonds of the Losers. Bonds that made them magical. Magical enough to defeat “The Eater of Worlds”.
Twice, technically.
These kids become your friends. Because these kids become you. Each one a reflection of real-life childhood love, fear, aspirations, and trauma that each one of us can relate to. And to their credit, the young adult cast from the ‘90s version is incredible. Honestly, both adaptations nailed the first, adolescent-focused timeline; but in regard to the OG miniseries, its portions featuring the adults unfortunately seemed to fall flat in a lot of people’s eyes.
Well, almost all of the adults.
Point being when it comes to telling the latter part of Bill, Bev, Ben, Richie, Eddie, Mike and Stan’s story, the struggle has always been real. Since in the book – things get…weird.
Like real weird. On a cosmic/mystic level.
So viewers who only know the story from watching the miniseries probably don’t know how meta King really gets. Which makes any kind of authentic adaptation for the masses damn-near impossible.
Although, that’s what separates Muschietti’s films from other Stephen King remakes of the past.
IT has never really had an accurate cinematic telling. And I can already hear the outcry from the T.C. Pennywise fans, but we – the horror community – needed this! We pined for Chapter Two to not only be weird (I’m talking Ritual of Chud), but that it be scarier than the first film, too.
And I’ll be damned if the movie doesn’t deliver on all of these points.
Image Source: Twitter
In the same way that Chapter One’s cast made the world fall in love with the young Losers’ Club, Chapter Two only reinforces that affection. Seriously, the adult cast could not have done a better job of honoring their younger counterparts as well as the characters from the original page.
And this is why the Muschietti films just might be the best Stephen King adaptation to date. I know – bold words. But anyone who doesn’t identify as a “Constant Reader” probably won’t know the author’s deep, dark secret…
The King of Horror is a great, big softy. (If you don’t believe me, just check out his Instagram).
A sweet-hearted nerd with a passion for standing up against bullies of all shapes, sizes and Lovecraftian form. This truth is something that Hollywood sadly doesn’t always capture; and instead, just milks the creepy while skipping the heart and soul. (I’m looking at you Dreamcatcher!)
Though to be fair, Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption are beloved by the mainstream; however, neither are particularly horrific in their plot. Dark? For sure. But not night sweat-inducing by any means.
But IT…
IT is different. If any one book of his could be used to describe his entire thematic life’s work, IT could easily be the top contender. The imagery is true stuff of horror: children being eaten alive by a shapeshifting monster with a million-year-old backstory. Jeez, that’s hardcore. And on the flip side, the prose equally captures the joy of life-long friendships, the pain of navigating young adulthood and how some of that trauma can sometimes haunt us long into adulthood. Whether we realize it or not.
Which is why, regardless of the Rotten Tomato score or the number of IMDB stars the movie ultimately ends up with, Andy Muschietti and his creative team should be proud. IT: Chapter Two successfully walks a razor-sharp tight rope between these contrasting emotional elements from King’s novel, quite possibly making it the most successful Stephen King film to-date.
You’ll scream, you’ll laugh, and you’ll cry. But honestly, what more could you ask for from the film version of the greatest horror novel of all time?
Although just to be safe, I still wouldn’t watch it alone.
xxKF
(((Feature Image Source: IMDB/Warner Brothers Entertainment/New Line)))
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