Stephen King's "IT" remake has found a writer - Part 4

[Art Vandelay]

No, it's important to the story that they cleaned it together. It was really their first stand against It. Bev couldn't clean that up alone, but together as a unit they were stronger and could wipe away something that was left behind to torture one of them. It also allowed the others to come forward and say they had seen It too.

I hate to be that guy, the one who always say "but in the book", but in the book, it was also a pretty important scene as it gave us our insight into Stan's mind, as he's the one who suggests they clean the bathroom. Because Stan has a rational, ordered way of viewing things (as well as being a bit of a neat freak), it's his way of taking control of the situation. But the scene is really about him, not Beverly. It sets him up as being the adult of the Losers, and thus, the one least equipped as coming to grips with It's existence.

 

[JtheDreamer]

People calling this the best horror film ever were more than likely not around for films like Poltergeist, Alien, Jaws, or the Ring.

 

[Matt Mortem]

People calling this the best horror film ever were more than likely not around for films like Poltergeist, Alien, Jaws, or the Ring.

I doubt anyone is seriously saying it's the best horror film ever.

 

[danoyse]

People calling this the best horror film ever were more than likely not around for films like Poltergeist, Alien, Jaws, or the Ring.

I was. And I thought this was a pretty damn good horror film. Easily one of my favorite King adaptations.

Not sure about "the best", but I love lots of horror films, so I've never had a single favorite.

 

[Schlosser85]

I don't really consider Jaws a straight up horror film. It's more a thriller/adventure.

 

[Galactus10]

The bathroom scene makes perfect sense for me. When she's alone and the blood gushes from the sink, it is a horrifying scene and is treated as such , however the idea of the cheesy 80's montage song when cleaning it represents that it no longer has to be viewed that way anymore because she's not alone. They see it to and they agree to help her clean it, as though it's not a big deal. It's a visual and audible direction they took to show that they are stronger together. To show that once they have each others backs, they no longer have to feel dread and fear. That's what I took from it and I loved it.

Thank God somebody here took that away from it.

This is about as good a mainstream wide release horror movie as can be expected in this era where they are all lame, desaturated, no fun or wonder, CG ridden, dull as dishrag shrimp water from a Chinese restaurant.

This movie repeats some of the expected tropes but other than Eddie, the kids ruled in their roles. Pennywise was a BEAST.

I loved it when

Spoiler

Pennywise came through the screen from the projector

. The angle, the perspective and scale were very creepy the way my mind saw it.

Full review: https://roccocaz.squarespace.com/pageit/

 

[Galactus10]

People calling this the best horror film ever were more than likely not around for films like Poltergeist, Alien, Jaws, or the Ring.

This was better than Poltergeist

 

[danoyse]

I hate to be that guy, the one who always say "but in the book", but in the book, it was also a pretty important scene as it gave us our insight into Stan's mind, as he's the one who suggests they clean the bathroom. Because Stan has a rational, ordered way of viewing things (as well as being a bit of a neat freak), it's his way of taking control of the situation. But the scene is really about him, not Beverly. It sets him up as being the adult of the Losers, and thus, the one least equipped as coming to grips with It's existence.

No worries...I'm also an "in the book" person, and I've read IT about 5 times since 1988 (I'm reading it again now, actually), so I feel like I've used that phrase a million times since the movie's come out.

That chapter did lead into Stan's story, and about his encounter with It at the Standpipe, but it started with Bev. She had brought Stan, Eddie, and Ben back to the apartment, and showed them the blood. Stan was the one who said they needed to clean it up (and he was studiously blotting the blood on the walls to try and preserve what was left of the old wallpaper, and they used his money to wash the rags at the laundromat afterwards), but it was still told from her point of view, and described how "her heart felt lighter" because the boys not only believed her and could see the blood too, they helped her clean it up. And even though they weren't able to completely clean it off the walls, it faded so much that it lost its power to frighten her like it did.

It was the introduction (finally) to Stan, but the blood-cleaning scene was about Bev being able to tell someone about something terrible, and believed and helped. It was the first time anyone had done that for her.

 

[danoyse]

This was better than Poltergeist

It reminded me of Poltergeist. I was 8 when that first came out, so I didn't see it in the theater, but when it finally hit cable we were obsessed with it. It used to be a game to see who could sit through it the longest without getting too scared to watch any more.

Today, I have seen far scarier movies than Poltergeist. But it's still one of my favorites.

I think IT being scary like how rollercoasters can be scary. The movie was just a blast to watch.

 

[Infinity9999x]

I agree with Danoyse and others in terms of the bathroom scene. It was important they do it together, and they do it together in the book too. And I quite enjoyed the music choice. Yes, it was lighthearted and seemed odd, and I think that was the point. That's a major standby of the movie and the original story, it jumps back and forth between horrific events and childhood bonding. It also reflects the uniquely childlike way that young people can be faced with horrific events in one moment, and a short while later he playing and laughing with friends. That strange juxtaposition is really the backbone of the losers club story while they're young, and the music choice for the montage reflected that perfectly.

Overall, I really enjoyed the film. It was much truer to the book than the old mini series, and it was a well done horror flick in its own right. My main issue was how underdeveloped Mike came off (and please god don't let them be dumb enough to make the one black character a junkie in the sequel like they've alluded to), and how they handled some of the scare moments.

Overall the film does a good job with the moments of tension before the scare, but a few times they broke the cardinal Hitchcock rule (the anticipation of the bomb is more exciting than the explosion) and dampened what were otherwise wonderfully executed horror moments. Showing what happens to Georgie wasn't nearly as powerful as say, seeing his body jerk against the grate in the background as one old script described, and the way they capped off the projector scene almost ruined what was a great scene up until that point.

But those were small gripes overall. It's a damn good horror flick, not quite as good as the first conjuring flick in my opinion, but close.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I took the bathroom scene a couple different ways.

1. I didn't think Bill wanted Bev to have to live with it, to deal with it on her own. Much like how he can't handle the reminders of Georgie.

2. It almost seems they were unconsciously getting rid of the evidence. They never once go to an adult. I understand the idea that adults don't get it, but they never even try and if Pennywise had been a bit... well wiser, he wouldn't of had to deal with them at all after that point.

 

[danoyse]

The adults couldn't see the blood...no point for them to go to an adult.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

The adults couldn't see the blood...no point for them to go to an adult.

But they don't try. Like her father is incredibly creepy, but we don't know if that is on his own, or powered by Pennywise. We never really get that answer, we never get to see them even try and get others to see it. They just assume adults won't care, won't see it, won't believe. We don't even know if Pennywise can target individuals who see what he is showing, without him showing it to others.

Also, adults can see the blood, they can see Pennywise. Its just harder. Otherwise how is part 2 going to happen?

 

[Marvolo]

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/horror-hit-get-directors-cut-exclusive-201741697.html

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I really hate this thing from WB. Why not just release that version in theaters?

 

[markjoedelonge]

This was a pretty sore point for me. In the book, the journey into the sewers is much, much more harrowing. First, you get the dawning horror that the entire town is under It's spell, and the unnerving realization that the Losers have all become ghosts in their parents minds. There's also the fact that town becomes pretty much become deserted, as if everyone has a sense of what's about to go down, and decides to just stay at home. Then, there's the fact Henry and his gang are after them, forcing them into the sewers. Finally, they make a conscious decision to confront It, knowing they may never see the light of day again.

Yes I feel the same exact way.

 

[danoyse]

But they don't try. Like her father is incredibly creepy, but we don't know if that is on his own, or powered by Pennywise. We never really get that answer, we never get to see them even try and get others to see it. They just assume adults won't care, won't see it, won't believe. We don't even know if Pennywise can target individuals who see what he is showing, without him showing it to others.

Also, adults can see the blood, they can see Pennywise. Its just harder. Otherwise how is part 2 going to happen?

Except that we do get that answer:

Bill sees Georgie. Bill’s parents don’t want to hear another word about Georgie. Georgie is dead and there’s nothing left to find. They want him to stop trying to look for him. Even when the losers split up after the incident at the house, there's a shot of Bill sitting all alone at the dinner table. His parents aren't spending time with him anymore. Can he really tell them he saw Georgie in basement? He’s not there now.

Mike sees burning hands reaching through a door, which opens to reveal Pennywise inside. An adult comes through that door a minute later, having not seen any of it. How’s he supposed to believe what Mike just saw? There’s nothing there.

Ben sees smoldering Easter Eggs in the library, gets chased by a headless boy, then by Pennywise, and straight into a librarian, who didn’t see a thing. Pennywise chased him right into an adult who didn’t see him. How’s Ben supposed to explain what just happened again?

Stan saw the lady disappear from the painting that he was already scared of, who chased him through his father’s synagogue. Was someone supposed to believe that happened?

Eddie was chased by a leper on a street with a bunch of abandoned houses (one that was referred to as a crackhouse later in the movie). We saw his mother. Exactly how was his mother going to deal with that if he told her. He couldn’t even let her find out they were buying first aid supplies for Ben.

Richie...he hadn’t seen it. And after he did, he wanted to quit and pretend it didn’t happen, not run to an adult. Getting an adult meant sending people back into the house, and he wasn’t going back there.

Beverly had gallons of blood drench her bathroom. Her father didn’t see it. He didn’t miss it because he was creepy. He didn’t see it because Pennywise kept it that way. He wanted to make Beverly have to live with another horrible secret. And that failed when she brought the rest of the losers in to clean it. They didn’t know it when they did it, but it was the first time they outsmarted Pennywise.

There’s no “grownups can’t see it” rule with the story. It’s more about how grownups can’t help you, and about being betrayed by the people who are supposed to love and protect you. It’s not that they assume grownups won’t care, it’s that they already know that the grownups don’t care or won’t help. Pennywise feeds on that.

 

[danoyse]

This was a pretty sore point for me. In the book, the journey into the sewers is much, much more harrowing. First, you get the dawning horror that the entire town is under It's spell, and the unnerving realization that the Losers have all become ghosts in their parents minds. There's also the fact that town becomes pretty much become deserted, as if everyone has a sense of what's about to go down, and decides to just stay at home. Then, there's the fact Henry and his gang are after them, forcing them into the sewers. Finally, they make a conscious decision to confront It, knowing they may never see the light of day again.

I agree, that was much scarier. I'm wondering if they're moving that to the sequel, since....

Spoiler

...the second showdown with Pennywise also results in the destruction of Derry. When you think about it, the whole town going bad at once would kind of compliment that.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Except that we do get that answer:

Bill sees Georgie. Bill’s parents don’t want to hear another word about Georgie. Georgie is dead and there’s nothing left to find. They want him to stop trying to look for him. Even when the losers split up after the incident at the house, there's a shot of Bill sitting all alone at the dinner table. His parents aren't spending time with him anymore. Can he really tell them he saw Georgie in basement? He’s not there now.

Mike sees burning hands reaching through a door, which opens to reveal Pennywise inside. An adult comes through that door a minute later, having not seen any of it. How’s he supposed to believe what Mike just saw? There’s nothing there.

Ben sees smoldering Easter Eggs in the library, gets chased by a headless boy, then by Pennywise, and straight into a librarian, who didn’t see a thing. Pennywise chased him right into an adult who didn’t see him. How’s Ben supposed to explain what just happened again?

Stan saw the lady disappear from the painting that he was already scared of, who chased him through his father’s synagogue. Was someone supposed to believe that happened?

Eddie was chased by a leper on a street with a bunch of abandoned houses (one that was referred to as a crackhouse later in the movie). We saw his mother. Exactly how was his mother going to deal with that if he told her. He couldn’t even let her find out they were buying first aid supplies for Ben.

Richie...he hadn’t seen it. And after he did, he wanted to quit and pretend it didn’t happen, not run to an adult. Getting an adult meant sending people back into the house, and he wasn’t going back there.

Beverly had gallons of blood drench her bathroom. Her father didn’t see it. He didn’t miss it because he was creepy. He didn’t see it because Pennywise kept it that way. He wanted to make Beverly have to live with another horrible secret. And that failed when she brought the rest of the losers in to clean it. They didn’t know it when they did it, but it was the first time they outsmarted Pennywise.

There’s no “grownups can’t see it” rule with the story. It’s more about how grownups can’t help you, and about being betrayed by the people who are supposed to love and protect you. It’s not that they assume grownups won’t care, it’s that they already know that the grownups don’t care or won’t help. Pennywise feeds on that.

These are all reasons why the parents can't see things. The entire point of the blood, which they have to clean to get rid of, might be evidence. They didn't try. It stayed behind.

The intention of the story I get. But when the almost ignore their parents as much as we are to assume they are ignored by their parents, it doesn't really come off like the kids tried to take it to them, to get their attention.

The kids are able to see what Pennywise intends for others. Why?

 

[JtheDreamer]

This was better than Poltergeist

IT is nowhere near the caliber of Poltergeist.

Hell that movie has it's own really effective creepy clown. Robbie's long stare at it across the room sitting in the chair and then later on attacks him under the bed. Nothing in IT matches the tension and buildup of that scene.

 

[JtheDreamer]

These are all reasons why the parents can't see things. The entire point of the blood, which they have to clean to get rid of, might be evidence. They didn't try. It stayed behind.

The intention of the story I get. But when the almost ignore their parents as much as we are to assume they are ignored by their parents, it doesn't really come off like the kids tried to take it to them, to get their attention.

The kids are able to see what Pennywise intends for others. Why?

The parents and town's adults were the least developed aspect of this film and yet one of the most important to the very existence of Pennywise. I still say those who've read the book have a bias that carries over into the film in regards to the matter.

 

[Art Vandelay]

Some grownups do see It. Mr Keane tells Mike about the incident involving the Bradley Gang, where one of the men sees Pennywise sticking out of a car. Mike also interviews a man who saw Pennywise at the Silver Dollar massacre, and a man who hears voices in his sink. And Mike's predessor at the library knows of Pennywise, and of the 27 year cycle. The town of Derry is just in a deep, deep, denial. People won't talk about It, even though most of the town elders are aware of It's existence. The implications are just too disquieting.

There was also a scene that would have appeared in the movie, but I believe was scrapped, possibly for time. This comes from someone who read the shooting script, but it involved a flashback to Pennywise approaching a woman, sometime in the 16th century, and her child. If you remember how the movie ends, you may know where this is going, but the woman accepts the proposal.

 

[markjoedelonge]

Some grownups do see It. Mr Keane tells Mike about the incident involving the Bradley Gang, where one of the men sees Pennywise sticking out of a car. Mike also interviews a man who saw Pennywise at the Silver Dollar massacre, and a man who hears voices in his sink. And Mike's predessor at the library knows of Pennywise, and of the 27 year cycle. The town of Derry is just in a deep, deep, denial. People won't talk about It, even though most of the town elders are aware of It's existence. The implications are just too disquieting.

There was also a scene that would have appeared in the movie, but I believe was scrapped, possibly for time. This comes from someone who read the shooting script, but it involved a flashback to Pennywise approaching a woman, sometime in the 16th century, and her child. If you remember how the movie ends, you may know where this is going, but the woman accepts the proposal.

Sorry, what's the proposal? That's pretty cool.

 

[The Joker]

Yes, it has all the feel of the novel. That was honestly a big challenge, and they made an oustanding job. I'd go as far as saying it's probably my favorite horror film ever, but I'll see it again before making a final judgement.

I totally respect and love that they went for character first and Pennywise second. And that they saved It's best parts for the movie.

I think this is why King loved it. Because it captured the essence of his book. He's usually very critical of movie adaptions of his work.

IT is nowhere near the caliber of Poltergeist.

Yes it was. Easily.

 

[redhawk23]

King's usually not that critical of most adaptations. The coldness of the Shining and Kubrick's lack of empathy for what was largely and author-insert character was taken as a personal affront.

King has been more than happy to just kind of roll with most adaptations of his work. I can hardly imagine that he's in love with the Dark Tower but he helped to promote it.