Happy Halloween folks! If you’re like me, you watch something scary on Halloween. When it comes to Stephen King, he’s got one story that will forever endure. There is a series from 1990 starring Tim Curry as a killer clown. There are also two more recent films telling the same story. All of them deliver excellent scares in different ways but it can be hard to know which one to watch. In this review, I’ll be going over Stephen King’s It, It, and It Chapter 2. I’ll let you know which one I recommend most at the end. There will be mild spoilers for all three projects. If that bothers you, grab your yellow rain coat and paper boat, float it down the rain gutter, walk away when it falls in the sewer, ignore any clowns you see, watch the movies and come on back here to read the review.

Stephen King’s It

One thing to note for this review is the basic plot of the miniseries and the films from 2017 and 2019 share the same plot and premise. But there is a big difference between how the series unfolds compared to the movies. I think all three are worth watching but you should know what you are getting into.

As a brief summary, a group of children in Derry, Maine are terrorized in their youth by a supernatural killer clown who steals and kills children. As adults, this group, known as “The Losers Club” reunite to kill this supernatural power for good. Obviously there is a lot more going on but that’s the gist of it.

The main reason the TV series works can be summarized in two words – Tim Curry. His take on Pennywise the clown is nearly manic. He is frightening and his costume resembles the costume of a real life clown named Bozo. If you grew up in the 1970s this makes Tim Curry even more frightening in this show.

Not everything works in the series. The acting is a little shaky at times and some of the production feels like it cut corners. But there are still moments that terrify, surprises you won’t see coming, and an overall feeling of complete dread and fear. But do keep in mind the series is 3 hours long so it’s a bit of a time commitment.

It

The more modern take on It released in 2017. This one stars Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise. The opening still recreates one of the most famous scenes in any Stephen King book. Little Georgie Denbrough sails a paper boat down a sidewalk gutter in the rain. His boat slips into the sewer before Georgie can grab it. And waiting to give it back? A clown staring out of the sewer.

The timeline of this film is moved up. The kids in the book face their horrors in 1958 and return in 1985. But in this updated version, the kids are confronted with the killer clown in 1989. This film focuses on the first half of the story, establishing how the town of Derry has a malevolent evil plaguing it. The kids in town all know it is there but the adults don’t seem to perceive it at all.

There are clear changes from the book but the spirit and tone of the story here is about as close to emulating the King story as you can get. And in a word? It is terrifying. There is just about every kind of scare you can imagine in this film. And it packs a hell of a punch.

It Chapter 2

It Chapter 2 takes place in 2016, 27 years after the events of the original. But it also has flash back sequences to contextualize and fill in gaps with incidents we did not see in the first film. The focus of the story here is on the Loser’s club reuniting but with only vague memories of what happened in their youth.

As these people navigate their memories, terrors new and old face them. Honestly, when this was announced, I was a bit skeptical splitting the It story in two would work at all. But upon my recent viewing, I had forgotten just how strong of an opening this film has. I won’t say they end is amazing. But, you can say that about the book too. In fact, in the film there is a bit of a meta joke about the ending, delivered by none other than Stephen King himself.

Ending aside, there is enough in this film to keep you scared for the entire run time. And the performances here by both adults and children are fantastic. No notes. They all embody their characters perfectly.

In Conclusion

If I had to choose what version of It to recommend, well, I’d recommend the book first. But if I had to choose between watching Stephen King’s It or It and It Chapter 2 I have to go with the modern versions. While not set in the time period of the book, the themes of friendship, growing up, loyalty and overcoming fear are well represented here. The character development is good and the large cast pulls it off well, with the second film echoing themes set up in the first film.

However, the run time for both of these movies added up is over 5 hours so again, quite the commitment. If you only have time for one Stephen King movie, go with It unless you have already watched that one.

No matter what version of the story you consume there will be something that will scare you. There is a good reason this is one the most popular Stephen King projects of all time. It’s about as close to a horror masterpiece as you can get. If you have Max, you can watch all three of these movies as of this post.

Clownishly yours,

Slick Dungeon

Want More?

Want to see some of my other King reviews? Take a look here!

Looking for a good King read? Check out this one!

What’s your pick for a terrifying Halloween watch? Let me know in the comments!