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It (retroactively known as It Chapter One) is a 2017 American coming-of-age supernatural horror film directed by Andy Muschietti, based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Stephen King. The screenplay is by Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga and Gary Dauberman. The film is set in the summer of 1989 and tells the story of seven children in Derry, Maine, who are terrorized by the eponymous being, only to face their own personal demons in the process. The novel was previously adapted into a 1990 miniseries.
The film stars Jaeden Lieberher, Bill Skarsgård, Sophia Lillis, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Finn Wolfhard, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, and Jack Dylan Grazer. Principal photography began in the Riverdale neighborhood of Toronto on June 27, 2016, and ended on September 21, 2016. Other Ontario locations included Port Hope and Oshawa.
It premiered in Los Angeles on September 5, 2017, and was theatrically released in the United States on September 8, 2017. Upon release, the film set numerous box office records and grossed $700 million worldwide. Unadjusted for inflation, it is the highest-grossing horror film and the fourth-highest-grossing R-rated film (after the Deadpool films and The Matrix Reloaded), as well as the most profitable horror film. It received positive reviews, with critics praising the performances, direction, cinematography and musical score, with many calling it one of the best Stephen King adaptations.
A sequel, It Chapter Two, was released on September 6, 2019.
Plot[]
In October 1988, Bill Denbrough, suffering from the flu, gives his seven-year-old brother, Georgie, a paper sailboat. Georgie sails the boat along the rainy streets of small town Derry, and is disappointed when it falls down a storm drain. As he attempts to retrieve it, Georgie sees a clown in the sewer, who introduces himself as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. The clown entices Georgie to come closer, then severs his arm and drags him into the sewer.
The following summer, Bill and his friends—Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak, and Stan Uris—run afoul of older bully Henry Bowers and his gang. Bill, still haunted by Georgie's disappearance and the resulting neglect from his grief-stricken parents, believes that his brother's body may have washed up in a marshy wasteland called the Barrens. He recruits his friends to investigate, hoping his brother may still be alive.
As the days go by, they befriend Ben Hanscom, a young, overweight boy who has spent most of his time studying Derry's history and discovered that the town has been plagued by mysterious deaths and child disappearances for centuries, after he is attacked by the Bowers gang and pursued by Patrick Hockstetter, who gets killed by Pennywise while searching for Ben in the sewers, Beverly Marsh, a girl ostracized over rumors of promiscuity whom Ben and Bill develop feelings for, and Mike Hanlon, an African-American homeschool outsider, who they also rescue from Bowers.
Throughout the summer, they each encounter various terrifying sights, including a diseased rotting man, a blood-spewing sink, a headless boy, a creepy painting coming alive, Mike's parents burning alive, and a shade of Georgie. Now calling themselves "The Losers Club", they all realize they are being terrorized by the same creature: the clown that attacked Georgie, who they call “It”. They conclude that "It" takes the form of their greatest fears, and only comes out every 27 years to feed on the people of Derry, mostly kids, before going to sleep, and sneaks around using sewer lines, which all lead to a well currently under the Well House, an abandoned house at 29 Neibolt Street. After being attacked by Pennywise, they go to the house to face him, only to be separated and terrorized, resulting in Eddie's arm getting broken and Ben being injured. Beverly manages to repel Pennywise by impaling him through the head. Fleeing from the house, Eddie's mom accuses Bill and the others of getting her son hurt, and after a squabble, the group disbands, while Bill and Beverly are the only ones still willing to take action.
A few weeks later, in August, Pennywise kidnaps Beverly after she seemingly murders her abusive father, Alvin. Bill discovers this and reunites the group, and they go back to the Well House to save her. Henry Bowers, who killed his father after being manipulated by It, attacks them, but Mike pushes Bowers down the well to his supposed death. They journey into the sewers and find Pennywise's underground hideout, containing countless circus props and children's belongings around which the missing children float in mid-air, along with Beverly, who has gone into a trance after being exposed to Pennywise's true form: bright lights within his mouth; fortunately Ben brings Beverly back to her senses by kissing her. Meanwhile, Bill encounters Georgie, but realizes he is Pennywise in disguise. Pennywise overpowers the group and takes Bill hostage, offering to spare the others in exchange for Bill. They refuse to back down and fight back, overcoming their various fears, ultimately causing Pennywise to flee by falling into a pit, with Bill declaring that It will starve during his hibernation. Bill then discovers Georgie's raincoat, and, now having proof his brother is dead, he and his friends mourn for him.
In September, as summer comes to a close, Beverly tells the others about a vision she had while entranced, in which they were facing Pennywise as adults. Bill, Richie, Eddie, Mike, Stan, Ben, and Beverly make a blood oath, vowing to return to Derry as adults and destroy Pennywise for good if he ever comes back. Stanley, Eddie, Mike, Richie, and Ben say their goodbyes as they leave one by one. Beverly says that she is leaving to live with her aunt in Portland the next morning. Bill reveals his feelings for Beverly and they kiss as she leaves.
Cast[]
- Jaeden Lieberher as Bill Denbrough, the leader of the Losers Club, who is determined to defeat It for personal reasons.
- Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise/IT, an ancient, trans-dimensional, other-worldly demon who only comes out every twenty-seven years to terrorize and prey on children.
- Sophia Lillis as Beverly Marsh, the only female member of the Losers Club, whom Ben and Bill have an interest in. She is abused by her father, and bullied because of rumors of promiscuity.
- Finn Wolfhard as Richie Tozier, Bill’s bespectacled best friend and the class clown of the group, Richie’s loud mouth and foul language have a tendency to get him in trouble.
- Jeremy Ray Taylor as Ben Hanscom, a very intelligent, shy, overweight boy who falls in love with Beverly, and shares his knowledge of Derry’s history.
- Chosen Jacobs as Mike Hanlon, an African-American homeschooled boy living on the edge of Derry, at his grandfather’s farm.
- Jack Dylan Grazer as Eddie Kaspbrak, a germaphobic boy who only feels better when he’s with his friends, and is pushed around by his overbearing mother most of the time.
- Wyatt Oleff as Stanley Uris, the pragmatic and timid son of a rabbi, who lives in fear of a ghoulish woman in a painting in his father’s office.
- Nicholas Hamilton as Henry Bowers, a ruthless, sociopathic bully, and the leader of the Bowers Gang.
- Owen Teague as Patrick Hockstetter, a psychopath who kills animals for fun, and supposedly keeps them in his fridge.
- Logan Thompson as Victor "Vic" Criss, Henry’s best friend.
- Jake Sim as Reginald "Belch" Huggins, the biggest, strongest, and clumsiest member of the Bowers Gang, who gets his name for his ability to belch on command.
- Megan Charpentier as Gretta Keene, the daughter of the town pharmacist, who bullies Beverly.
- Jackson Robert Scott as Georgie Denbrough, Bill’s sweet and energetic younger brother, who gets killed by It, setting the stage for the events of the film.
- Pip Dwyer as Sharon Denbrough
- Geoffrey Pounsett as Zack Denbrough
- Steven Williams as Leroy Hanlon, Mike’s grandpa, who runs a farm and abattoir.
- Stuart Hughes as Oscar Bowers, the abusive and racist father of Henry, and an officer of the Derry Police Department, who dislikes the Hanlon family.
- Stephen Bogaert as Alvin Marsh, Beverly’s abusive father.
- Ari Cohen as Rabbi Uris, Stanley’s father and teacher in the Jewish religion.
- David Katzenberg as El Aparato
- Tatum Lee as Judith, a form Pennywise assumes to scare Stanley.
- Javier Botet as The Leper, the form It takes to instill fear in Eddie.
- Anthony Ulc as The Butcher
- Carter Musselman as Headless Boy, a form Pennywise uses to frighten Ben.
- Katie Lunman as Betty Ripsom
- Joe Bostick as Mr. Keene, Gretta’s father, and the town pharmacist.
- Edie Inksetter as The Hostess
Production[]
Kajganich project (2009–2010)[]
Fukunaga project (2012–2015)[]
Muschietti project (2015–2017)[]
Filming[]
Design[]
Costume design[]
Creature design[]
Visual effects[]
Themes[]
Music[]
Release[]
Home media[]
Marketing[]
Reception[]
Box office[]
Critical response[]
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 86% based on 388 reviews, with an average rating of 7.30/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Well-acted and fiendishly frightening with an emotionally affecting story at its core, It amplifies the horror in Stephen King's classic story without losing touch with its heart." Metacritic, another review aggregator, assigned the film a weighted average score of 69 out of 100, based on 49 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScoregave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it an overall positive score of 85% and a 64% "definite recommend."
Accolades[]
Sequel[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
Differences from the novel and the miniseries[]
External Links[]
It at the Internet Movie Database
- It at AllMovie
- It at Box Office Mojo
- It at Rotten Tomatoes
- It at Metacritic
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