Everything You Need To Know About ‘IT’

The remake of Stephen King‘s 1985 horror classic, IT is due to terrify viewers in the coming days. Originally a beast of a novel that brought fear to the hearts of readers everywhere, audiences were soon after given a unique and exhilarating 80’s horror miniseries that introduced viewers to the antagonist Pennywise the dancing clown. Like many movies from the 80’s, what was scary then has failed to stand the test of time, despite still being a classic. But fear not (or maybe you should be really scared), because Pennywise is being updated, given a scarier look with the promise of a more faithful adaptation of the book. Count us in. So here is everything you need to know about IT before seeing the film.


What Is IT About?

The film is about a group of misfit children called the Losers, who investigate the disappearance of children within their town. In the process, they are confronted by an evil shape-shifting entity which plays on their phobias in order to lure them into his clutches. The most common shape this entity takes is that of a clown named Pennywise and appears every 30 years. The movie will be split into two parts, with this film dealing with the initial time period of the book, where the Losers are children. The sequel will deal with Losers as adults and tell the story from their point of view.Losers


Where Is IT Set?

Following the success of Stranger Things, a retro take on horror tropes and set in the 80s’s, IT follows suit. The film is set during the summer of 1989 in Derry, Maine, a fictional town created by Stephen King for various novels. The fashion of the children and characters matches the typical 80’s fashion of pastel and bright clothing.


Who’s In The Cast?

Possibly the best thing about IT is that there is very little name recognition that could detract from the tale. The biggest casting comes in the form of Pennywise/IT with actor Bill Skarsgard, the brother of Alexandar Skarsgard and son of Stellan Skarsgard. Bill has recently been in movies like Atomic Blonde, the upcoming Stephen King film Castle Rock and had a long standing role in the television series Hemlock Grove.PennywiseAnother notable youngster is Finn Wolfhard who is no stranger to the horror genre, portraying Mike Wheeler in the Netflix mega hit Stranger Things. Here’s hoping Finn continues with the horror genre and becomes a staple, something that is sorely missing since the days Robert Englund and Scream Queen Jamie Lee Curtis.


Spooky Marketing

Many may be familiar with the 2016 clown craze that swept through America, Europe and even Australia during September and October. Many thought that this craze had begun as some sort of viral marketing by New Line Cinema, the production company for the film. The clowns were dubbed “evil clowns” and were terrorising people for months on end. While New Line denies any involvement, the timing of the incidents started to occur not long after the first image of Pennywise was released in late August.richie_0

Recent marketing for the film stepped up a notch in building an eerie vibe, with director Andy Muscheitti posting a missing child poster on his Instagram to promote the film. In March, he also did a 6-day countdown using balloons to hype the first release of the IT trailer.

As the days march closer to release, in the streets of Sydney there have been sightings of red balloons appearing in storm drains throughout the city and surrounding areas to instil fear in the locals and remind them that IT is near. It certainly sent a chill down my spine seeing them. There is even a special, clown only screening of the film as if we weren’t petrified enough.ITballoonIn fact, the first clip from the movie was released, showing Pennywise rescuing Georgie’s boat from falling down the drain, such a nice clown. Check it out.


Still Not Convinced?

Are you still unsure just how awesome the new adaptation is going to be? Not sure if you’ll be scared? I recommend checking out a message that the Losers club sent to fans on IGN and see if you will need to take a change of pants to the cinema.


There you have it, guys.  You should be ready to battle the evil entity in IT and remind yourself why clowns are the worst.  Keep an eye out for our review and be sure to let us know what you thought of the movie in the comments section or on Facebook.

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