Have You Seen It?

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Tom Caton, Contributor

*This article contains spoilers to the newly released film, It.*

Will you float too if you go to see the new horrifying movie It?

It is a supernatural horror film that was released in theaters on Sept. 8. Within days of its release, the film has grossed more than $185 million worldwide.

The movie is based on the terrifying novel of the same name written by Stephen King. The film is also a remake of the original 1990 movie and was shot mostly in the Riverdale neighborhood, located in Ontario, Canada.

The plot opens up on a rainy October day in 1988. Main character, Bill Denbrough, played by Jaeden Lieberher, makes a sailboat from notebook paper and gives it to his 7-year-old brother Georgie (Jackson Robert Scott).

Georgie takes the boat outside to play when, by accident, the boat falls down the sewer gutter. As Georgie peers down into the drain, he meets a strange man dressed as a clown who introduces himself as “Pennywise the Dancing Clown.” Bill Skarsgård portrays It.

Pennywise tells Georgie that the storm blew him into the sewer and he then tries to offer Georgie a balloon. As he reaches for it, Pennywise grabs Georgie’s arm, bites it off and drags his body down into the sewer to consume the rest of his body.

The movie advances eight months and takes us to last day of school at Derry High School in June 1989. Bill and his friends Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak and Stanley Uris are trying to outrun bully Henry Bowers and his gang. Fortunately, they escape.

While making a delivery to a local butcher shop for his grandfather, home-schooled Mike Hanlon (Chosen Jacobs) encounters It before nearly getting run over by Bower. Bill discovers that his brother’s body may have ended up in a marshy wasteland connected by the sewers, known as the Barrens.

Ben heads to the library where he finds a book on Derry’s history, learning the town has been plagued by mysterious unexplained tragedies and child disappearances for centuries. He is lured into the basement by It in the form of a headless boy, whom he narrowly escapes. The creature also goes after Stan in the form of a living painting, permanently traumatizing him.

A few weeks later, the group, who now refer to themselves as “The Losers Club,” come to realize that they are each being terrorized by the same entity, which awakens for a short period of time every 27 years to feed on the children of Derry before returning to hibernation.

While in Bill’s garage, the group determines that It is using the sewers to move around unseen. After narrowly escaping an attack by It in Bill’s garage, the Losers Club go to the house on Neibolt Street where Bill determines It to be hiding. The creature uses its shape-shifting abilities to separate the group and pick them off. Eddie breaks his arm after falling through a hole upstairs. It emerges from a fridge and prepares to eat him.

The rest of the Losers arrive and save Eddie, and Beverly impales It through the head with a fence post. The clown slashes Ben before retreating down a well in the basement of the house. Eddie’s mother arrives and is horrified by her son’s broken arm, taking him away. The group begins to splinter, with Richie, Stan and Mike succumbing to their fear and abandoning the others when Bill insists that they continue to hunt It.

Later on, It appears in Beverly’s house and abducts her. Bill uses the opportunity to reassemble the Losers and mount a rescue. At the Neibolt house, Henry arrives and tries to kill Mike. During the struggle, Mike pushes Henry down the well, where he seemingly falls to his death.

It traps Stan and starts to eat him, but the others chase him off. They then find It’s lair in an underground cooling tower, containing a mountain of circus props and children’s belongings, where they find a catatonic Beverly floating with the bodies of the other missing children kept in a form of suspended animation.

After the group pulls Beverly to the ground, Ben kisses her, restoring her to consciousness. It, in the form of Georgie, attempts to deceive Bill but fails, transforming into Pennywise and attacking the group. Taking Bill hostage, Pennywise offers to spare the other Losers if they sacrifice their friend.

Instead, they break Bill free and together, brutally fight It as a group and defeat him. Bill coldly tells It that he is the one who is now afraid and starving as the Losers no longer fear him. Knowing he has no more power over them, a disintegrating It escapes into a deep pit and the floating children float back into the ground.

Upon discovering Georgie’s yellow raincoat, Bill accepts his brother’s death and emotionally breaks down, while the others comfort him.

One month later, Beverly informs the group of a vision she had while catatonic, where she saw them fighting It as adults. The Losers form a blood oath that they will return to Derry in 27 years if It returns, and destroy him once and for all.

After the other Losers depart one by one, Beverly tells Bill that she is moving to live with her aunt in Portland the following morning. Before Beverly leaves, Bill reveals his true feelings and they kiss.

I enjoyed this movie very much because I love horror movies and I watched the original 1990 movie and read the 1986 novel. I recommend this movie to those who truly love horror movies.

However, this movie is not intended for everyone though.

There are parts during the movie that become gory and down-right terrifying. But overall, the movie was terrific and it kept me on the edge of my seat.

Also, is it a coincidence that a remake of the film was released 27 years after the original movie from 1990?

It terrified me, and I assure the same feelings will run in you as well.