IT reminds us of the children we once were and the adults we have become, and how the two are inextricably linked, no matter the passage of time. IT – Chapters One (2017) and Two (2019) are available to rent, buy, or stream.
Given the critical success of the ABC TV mini-series in 1990, one would have assumed that the arrival of Stephen King’s IT on the big screen was a foregone conclusion, but no one thought it would take seventeen years. In 2009, Warner Bros. announced a movie version of IT, with the studio actively searching for the right director to bring King’s vision to life. But the question of what form Stephen King’s lengthy novel should take on the big screen haunted its development, much as it had done with the ABC series many years before.
Initially, Warner Bros favoured a condensed version of King’s novel, one movie that housed the best IT had to offer in horror. However, translating the material into a single feature proved challenging, and as a result, two directors, David Kajganich and Cary Fukunaga, would walk away from the project. When Andrés Muschietti arrived, a vision was finally established: a two-chapter movie event, with the development of the second chapter dependent on the success of the first.
Muschietti’s first film would explore the horrors of Derry through the eyes of the young “Loser’s Club”, and the second would centre on the adult “Losers Club” as they returned to Derry. This would split Stephen King’s original narrative, separating the entwined story of the past and present in favour of two time-bound chapters while moving the young Losers Club story from the 1950s to the late 1980s. Warner Bros. allowed Muschietti the creative freedom needed to capture the vast themes inherent in King’s novel while modernising the story arc, leading to one of the highest-grossing and most narratively complex horror films of the 2010s.
Central to IT’s success was Muschietti’s casting choices, as he brought together some of Hollywood’s finest talent to create a Losers Club we could all believe in, from an outstanding young cast to a fantastic group of adult actors.
Throughout Chapters One and Two, our ensemble is given the space to build upon King’s characters, a weakness that had previously haunted the otherwise brilliant TV movie due to time constraints. Meanwhile, Pennywise would fully embody the alien creature inside, thanks to Bill Skarsgård’s exquisite, horrific, and otherworldly interpretation. While Tim Curry’s 1990 Pennywise may have given an entire generation of kids nightmares and Coulrophobia, Skarsgård’s would both horrify and mesmerise in equal measure.
The critical and financial success of Mushietti’s faithful yet modern adaptation of IT only proved the enduring power of King’s original novel. But why is IT a masterpiece of modern horror? After all, many argue it is not King’s strongest work, yet its cultural impact remains prominent.
IT would bring together a range of themes found in his earlier work, from “The Body” to “Carrie” and “The Stand”, to create a coming-of-age horror centred on our deep-seated childhood fears and insecurities and their ability to shape the adults we become. Here, King reminds us of our human need to face our monsters, wherever they may reside, at whatever age we may be. IT, like “The Body”, is a story of the power of our early teenage friendships. But IT is also a tale of the adult scars we carry from our teens and the need to own our past.
Mushetti captures these elements beautifully throughout both chapters of IT, always acknowledging the psychological horror at the core of King’s story while unlocking the childhood fears we would rather keep buried. As a result, IT reminds us of the children we once were and the adults we have become, and how the two are interlinked, no matter the passage of time.
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