Andrew Robinson
It was one of the most successful films in 2017. Grossing about $327,000,000 at US box offices alone, It, which was released on September 8th, 2017 (and grossed $123,000,000 in its opening weekend) is one of the most successful horror films ever (box office figures courtesy of IMDb.com). Critics tend to loathe horror movies, but not It; Metacritic.com critics give it a 69/100 (which is in the “green zone” for them – an impressive score for any film, and remarkably high for a horror movie), and Rotten Tomatoes critics have It as ‘Certified Fresh,’ giving it an impressive 85% approval rating. Why is It, a horror movie that focuses on a clown that kills children every 27 years, so easy to love, even for non-traditional horror movie viewers, then? It’s simple: It is just as much a coming-of-age drama as it is a horror movie.
It (2017) derives from Stephen King’s 1000+ page novel, also titled It, that was published in 1986. Due to the extreme length of King’s novel, it would be impossible for anyone to capture the extreme amount of character development present in the source novel. I’ll be honest, when I first heard that It was being adapted into a film in 2017 (it was technically a mini-series in 1990, when Tim Curry played Pennywise the Clown), I was a bit skeptical. The 1990 mini-series was more-or-less viewed as an okay adaptation, but most of that was due to Tim Curry’s great performance as the killer clown. Furthermore, many of those who hadn’t read the novel were left shocked at the climactic ending, which is, well, very strange.
So, when I heard that It – which also happens to be my favorite book of all-time – was going to grace our screens again in 2017, I didn’t know quite what to think. First of all, I was very worried that producers would aim for a PG-13 rating in an effort to reach a larger audience; this, in my opinion as a horror-movie-watcher, would have been devastating to the impact of the movie (horror films should almost never be rated PG-13, but that’s an article for another day). When news broke that the film would be rated R, and that director Andy Muschietti (Mama) considered It to be one of his favorite novels, my spirits were lifted considerably. However, three huge worries still remained: 1) how the heck would Muschietti be able to fit all of the character development present in a remarkably long book into just a few hours? 2) would he make the film into a disturbing gore-fest, or will he be willing to sacrifice some horror elements in order to build the relationships between the kids? and 3) will the kids have the chemistry necessary to do the book justice?
All three of these worries essentially culminate in one thing: coming-of-age. Stephen King’s novel, while definitely in the horror genre (it is the scariest novel I’ve read to-date), also masterfully invokes a feeling of coming-of-age that is The Body-esque (a King novella – this is what the incredible movie Stand By Me (1986) is based on). I was very worried that It would forgo all of the character development and coming-of-age feel, instead focusing on attempting to scare the audience in every way possible. Boy, was I wrong.
It all began with the casting. As It features seven middle-school-aged children – group leader Bill Denbrough, class clown Richie Tozier, overweight Ben Hanscom, recent Loser-inductee Mike Hanlon, quiet Stanley Uris, oft-injured Eddie Kaspbrak, and Beverly Marsh, the only girl in the Club – who call their friend group the “Losers’ Club,” Muschietti and casting director Rich Delia were forced to find lovable actors who could portray, well, losers, while also showcasing strength and bonding that escapes the strongest of adults. If even one of the casted Losers had been off, the entire film would have been worse, and Muschietti likely would have been forced to go the traditional horror-movie route; the coming-of-age feel would be neglected. Instead, Muschietti and Delia found the perfect group of actors. Jaeden Lieberher (Bill), Stranger Things’s Finn Wolfhard (Richie), Sophia Lillis (Beverly), Jeremy Ray Taylor (Ben), Chosen Jacobs (Mike), Jack Dylan Grazer (Eddie), and Wyatt Oleff (Stanley) have an unbelievable amount of chemistry, and it makes the film that much more powerful.
The kids are simply magnificent together. They are clearly good friends on and off set, and are simply fun, making the coming-of-age, friends-against-everyone aspect of the film even more noticeable. Here is a 15-minute behind-the-scenes video that shows just how connected the kids are; they call the summer of filming “the best summer of their lives” multiple times, and say that they are “friends for life.” (Warning: don’t watch if you haven’t seen the film, but plan to do so!).
It is definitely a horror film – don’t get me wrong; it’s scary and disturbing. However, when I watch It, I truly see a coming-of-age drama that is quite hilarious. (Just look at a compilation of Richie’s best one-liners *Warning: NSFW language, and possible spoilers*). It has that Stand By Me feel; the kids are obviously great friends, and talk like many middle-schoolers actually talk, not how people want to believe they talk. This (often NSFW) language and speech makes the movie feel authentic, and makes me love it all the more.
Now, many non-horror fans will point to the topic – a killer clown that murders children – and say that any movie focusing on that can in no way be anything but a horror film. To them, I say, I agree… to a certain extent. It is certainly a horror film and will make you squirm in your seat, but it also does a wonderful job of pulling little bits from King’s novel that make it feel like a coming-of-age story. The kids may not be “innocent” at the beginning of the film – they certainly don’t talk like they are – but they all go through an unfathomable amount of horror and difficulties together; in fact, their bond gets stronger and stronger as the film progresses. This is where I see the coming-of-age aspect. Bill, Richie, Ben, Beverly, Mike, Eddie, and Stanley are much like Gordie, Chris, Teddy, and Vern from Stand By Me, in the fact that the bulk of the movie features them living life and talking about their friendship and bond, simply growing up.
In fact, the final line of Stand By Me is entirely applicable to It. The Writer (Gordie as an adult) says, “I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?”
This line is one of the most poignant that I’ve ever heard in a film. Once hearing it, the viewer immediately thinks back to their childhood and, eventually, confirms the validity of the quote, in a sad, reminiscent sort of way. It makes me feel the same way as I felt when I heard this quote for the first time. It makes me want to go back in time to my childhood, spending time with my best childhood friends, simply talking and living life. It makes me wish that I grew up in the 1980s (when the movie takes place, although King’s novel places the Losers in the 1950s), and that I was more explorative and outdoorsy. It makes me want to be where they are; do what they do. (And then I remember the killer clown and their predicament, and I suddenly feel okay staying in the present).
The fact that It is able to do this to me – to make me want to experience what the characters are experiencing, and to go back in time to my childhood – proves, to me at least, that it is just as much a coming-of-age film as it is a horror film. While I would never send a horror-movie-hater to see It, I encourage anyone that can tolerate horror elements to see the film (and, preferably, in order to understand the full character development going in, read the book.. although the book is much more graphic and horrific) to see It. The film is hilarious at times, makes one reminisce over their childhood, and is a wonderful coming-of-age horror film.
Everyone involved in the making of It, from the actors to the cinematographer to the casting director to the producers to the director himself, does a fabulous job, and makes a film about a clown that preys on children into a film that most viewers – whether they are horror fans or not – can find joy in watching.
9/10
