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The First Group Of Critics Have Seen Stephen King’s ‘IT,’ And They’re Calling It ‘Totally Terrifying’

By Patricia Ramirez
Published on: 09:58 PST, Aug 26, 2017

For nearly two years, Stephen King fans have been eagerly awaiting the release of the 2017 remake of the horror classic IT. The beloved novel was released in September of 1986, and a made-for-TV adaptation of Stephen King’s IT followed in 1990. The 1990 version of IT boasted a run time of 193 minutes, and was shown on television in the form of a mini-series. Despite critical panning, IT developed a cult following, and fans of the novel and first adaptation alike have been dying to see what director Andy Muschietti has cooked up this time around.

The original made-for-TV adaptation of Stephen King’s IT starred the incomparable Tim Curry in the title role, a monstrous creature often portrayed as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. This time around, the nightmarish role was undertaken by Bill Skarsgård, and fans (at least early on) were worried that he wouldn’t be able to do the film or his predecessor justice. After a couple of terrifying stills and creepy trailers, however, Skarsgård more than proved that he had the chops the handle the iconic role.

This time around, Stephen King’s IT is headed straight for the big screen. With a lengthy but manageable run time of 135 minutes, this year’s version of King’s vision has cut the original story nearly in half. Both the book and original film told the tale of an evil creature from the perspective of a group of children (“The Losers Club”) and again 27 years later from the perspective of their adult selves. In the 2017 flick, the tale is being told solely from the point of view of the group of children.

It has been widely reported that if the 2017 rendition of Stephen King’s IT achieves box office success, a sequel will soon be in the works. If it happens, the second installment is slated to tell the story from the adult perspective. It’s still hard to tell if that second installment will happen, however, because reviews of the Andy Muschietti film haven’t yet begun to officially circulate.

However, as Entertainment Weekly reports, a handful of critics and journalists were lucky enough to be part of an early screening of the much-anticipated 2017 version of Stephen King’sIT. And while the folks who managed to get an early viewing of IT haven’t dropped any spoilers, their reactions to the flick are almost exclusively positive — an excellent sign for Muschietti and Stephen King fans alike.

According to Anthony Breznican of EW, the new Stephen King’s IT may be “one of the finest” King adaptations ever made. In addition to a terrifying killer clown (who fans of the book know is so much more than that), the movie is said to touch viewers on an emotional level not achieved in the 1990 version.

“I think it’s one of the finest Stephen King adaptations ever made. Beyond killer clowns, IT also delves into the grief & anger kids feel when they realize those who should love & protect them do the opposite. These are themes in King’s stories that filmmakers often ignore. But the best adaptations figure out they’re the most vital part.”

Other early reviews of the soon-to-be-released horror film, which could well be on the way to becoming a classic, praise the movie’s humor and adorable romance, with Erik Davis of Fandango calling IT one of his favorite movies of the year.

While those lucky enough to score an early viewing of Stephen King’s IT are overwhelmingly psyched about the new film, they’re not the only ones. Fans of Stephen King and horror in general (often one in the same) have been following the movie’s progress on social media since news of its development first dropped, and most are stoked to get their first taste of the new Pennywise and the new IT.

And many have taken to their favorite social media platform to share their thoughts about everything from casting, to the films new single-perspective format, to reactions to early critical reviews.

There is one person in America who may not be excited about the impending release of IT, and that’s Donald Trump. The commander-in-chief and supposed leader of the free world has been the target of Stephen King’s Twitter rage for well over a year. Indeed, almost from the time the unlikely politician threw his hat into the presidential primary fray, King has been sharing his exclusively unpleasant thoughts about Trump on Twitter.

Recently, Donald responded by blocking the prolific horror author, something Stephen King apparently took rather personally. As a result, King “blocked” Trump from seeing IT. He also suggested that the president “Go float yourself,” a reference to his beloved horror novel-turned-film.

It’s worth noting that in the world of Stephen King, Pennywise the Dancing Clown comes back to haunt his victims every 27 years. Coincidentally (or perhaps not) the new adaptation of IT will be released 27 years after the 1990 made-for-TV version.

What are your thoughts regarding the early reactions to the soon-to-be-released film adaptation of Stephen King’s IT? Are you planning on checking out the eagerly anticipated new movie in theaters, will you be waiting for DVD, or are you going to be avoiding it altogether? Let us know in the comments below, and don’t forget that IT hits theaters on September 8.

[Featured Image by Warner Bros.]

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