Fear is a weird thing. It’s personal, but somehow, Stephen King found a way to make it universal. When Andy Muschietti’s IT film part 1 (officially just titled IT) hit theaters in 2017, it didn't just break box office records. It tapped into a collective childhood trauma we all forgot we had. Forget the jump scares for a second. The reason this movie worked—and why we’re still talking about it years later—is because it understood that the monster under the bed is nowhere near as scary as the town you live in.
It’s Derry. It’s the 1980s.
You’ve got a group of kids who are basically invisible to the adults around them. That’s the real horror. Bill Skarsgård’s Pennywise is terrifying, sure. He has those lazy yellow eyes and that drool that looks way too real. But the actual dread comes from the realization that if these kids die, the "grown-ups" in Derry will probably just look the other way. Honestly, that’s what makes this version of the story feel so much heavier than the 1990 miniseries. It’s gritty. It’s foul-mouthed. It feels like childhood, warts and all.
The Losers' Club: Why This Version Hit Differently
We have to talk about the kids. Casting is everything in a coming-of-age horror flick. If you don't care about the kids, the clown is just a guy in makeup. The chemistry between Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis, Jaeden Martell, and the rest of the gang felt effortless. They didn't talk like movie kids. They talked like real, crude, terrified thirteen-year-olds.
Most movies fail when they try to adapt King's dialogue. It’s often too "folksy" or weirdly dated. But screenwriter Gary Dauberman and the team managed to modernize the 80s setting without making it feel like a Stranger Things clone. In the IT film part 1, the camaraderie is the shield. Each kid represents a specific flavor of trauma.
- Beverly deals with an abusive father.
- Eddie is suffocated by a Munchausen-by-proxy mother.
- Bill carries the crushing weight of survivor's guilt over Georgie.
- Mike is the outsider in a town that’s deeply, quietly racist.
The movie spends a lot of time letting these kids just be kids. The quarry scene? Pure gold. It gives the audience room to breathe before the red balloon shows up again. Without those moments of levity, the horror would be exhausting. Instead, it’s heartbreaking. You want them to win because they’re the only ones in Derry worth saving.
Let’s Talk About That Clown
Bill Skarsgård had some massive shoes to fill. Tim Curry’s 1990 performance was iconic. It was campy, theatrical, and fueled a generation’s worth of coulrophobia. Skarsgård went a different route. He played Pennywise as something that isn't even trying to look human.
The drooling. The voice that cracks like a child’s. The way his eyes move independently of each other. (Fun fact: Skarsgård can actually do that eye trick in real life, which saved the production a bit on CGI). This Pennywise is a predator that’s been around for millennia and is slightly bored with its food. It’s playing with its meat.
There’s a specific nuance in the IT film part 1 where you realize Pennywise is actually afraid of the Losers' Club by the end. That’s a massive shift. In the beginning, he’s an all-powerful god of the sewers. By the final confrontation in the Well House, he’s desperate. He’s starving. Watching a monster realize it’s losing its power is a rare thing in horror, and Muschietti nailed that transition.
What Most People Get Wrong About the 1980s Setting
A lot of critics at the time complained that moving the "kids' era" from the 1950s (as it was in the book) to the 1980s was just a cynical move to capitalize on nostalgia. I disagree. Moving the timeline was a logistical necessity for the two-part structure. If the first part takes place in 1988-89, the second part lands in the present day.
It also changed the nature of the fear. The 50s were about the fear of the "other" and the breakdown of the nuclear family. The 80s in the IT film part 1 are about neglect. It’s the era of "latchkey kids." Parents are either absent, overbearing, or outright monsters. The 80s setting allowed for a more visceral, aggressive type of bullying too. Henry Bowers isn't just a mean kid; he’s a psychopath in training. The movie doesn't shy away from the fact that Derry is a place where bad things happen because people let them happen.
The Mechanics of the Horror: Practical vs. Digital
There is a lot of CGI in this movie. Some of it holds up better than others. The "leper" chasing Eddie? A bit rubbery in some shots. The woman from the painting that haunts Stanley? Genuinely haunting because it uses the "uncanny valley" effect perfectly.
But the best scares in the IT film part 1 are the ones that use space. Think about the library scene with Ben. The librarian in the background, out of focus, just staring at him while he looks through the history books. It’s subtle. It’s creepy. It builds a sense that the entire town is watching you, waiting for you to trip up.
Director of Photography Chung-hoon Chung, who worked on Oldboy, brought a visual sophistication to the film that most horror movies lack. The colors are saturated but sickly. The sunlight in Derry doesn't feel warm; it feels exposed. Every frame feels like it’s hiding something in the shadows, even in broad daylight.
The Impact and the "Stephen King Renaissance"
Before 2017, Stephen King adaptations were hit or miss. Mostly miss. For every Shawshank Redemption, you had five movies like The Mangler. The success of the IT film part 1 changed everything. It proved that if you take the source material seriously—if you treat it like a prestige drama that just happens to have a shapeshifting clown—people will show up.
It paved the way for a massive wave of King projects, but few have captured the specific lightning-in-a-bottle feel of this first chapter. Maybe it’s because the story of childhood friendship is inherently more moving than the story of adults trying to remember their childhoods.
The movie grossed over $700 million worldwide. That’s insane for an R-rated horror film. It changed the industry's perspective on what horror could be. It didn't have to be a low-budget "found footage" flick to make money. It could be a sprawling, high-budget epic.
What You Should Watch For on a Rewatch
If you’re going back to watch the IT film part 1 tonight, look at the background. Seriously. Pennywise is everywhere.
- The Mural: In the scene where the kids are in the alleyway, look at the mural on the wall. Pennywise’s face is integrated into the painting, watching them.
- The Balloon in the Woods: When the kids are looking for the entrance to the sewers, look through the trees. You’ll see red flashes that aren't just lens flares.
- The Audience: During the various "attacks," look for extras who are standing perfectly still, just watching. These are the "citizens" of Derry who are under IT’s influence.
These details show the level of craft that went into this production. It wasn't just a cash grab. It was a love letter to the book, even if it had to trim a lot of the weirdness (like the Maturin the Turtle or the... uh... controversial ending of the book's sewer scene).
Actionable Steps for the Ultimate Experience
To truly appreciate the depth of the IT film part 1, don't just treat it as a popcorn flick. Do this:
- Watch the 1990 Miniseries First: This isn't to see which is "better," but to see how different eras interpreted the same fear. Tim Curry and Bill Skarsgård are two sides of the same coin.
- Read the "Derry: The First Interlude" Chapter: If you haven't read the book, just read the interludes. They explain the history of the town's disasters (the Black Spot, the Bradley Gang). It adds a layer of dread to the movie when you realize the "accidents" the kids mention are part of a 27-year cycle.
- Check Out the Deleted Scenes: There’s a deleted scene involving Pennywise in the 1600s that is genuinely disturbing. It provides a much clearer picture of what IT actually is—an invasive species from another dimension.
- Audio Matters: Watch it with a decent sound system or high-quality headphones. The sound design uses "infrasound"—frequencies that are too low for humans to hear but high enough to trigger a physical anxiety response.
The IT film part 1 remains a masterclass in modern horror. It balances the heart of a Spielberg movie with the darkness of a King novel. It reminds us that while we might grow up and move away, the things that scared us as kids never really leave. They just wait in the basement of our memories for the right time to crawl back out.