By: Katie Percha

Everybody is afraid of something, and for a motley crew of kids in a small town in Maine, their worst fears come to life. Amidst summer bullies and a clown threatening that they’ll “float too,”  the new It movie is one that will span generations.

Starring young actors such as Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard as the obnoxious, bespectacled Richie “Trashmouth” Tozier, this movie is one that each viewer will walk away from with a different individual experience. Senior Colton Plautz saw the movie in theaters, and it definitely shook him up. “I felt so extremely horrified that my girlfriend, who was next to me, was horrified that I was horrified,” he noted.

Set in Derry, Maine, a small town in which things are never as they seem, It opens on brothers Bill and Georgie Denbrough stuck inside on a rainy day. As Georgie leaves to run down the street with his paper boat floating along, the aura is set for one of the most iconic horror scenes. There is an almost exact replication between the 1990 scene and the 2017 scene, right down to Pennywise the Clown’s introduction and Georgie Denbrough’s demise. Senior Carly Orick said, “the scene with Georgie made me so sad. He deserved so much better.” This scene is both heart-wrenching and terrifying, and watching the young, endearing Georgie face the menace that will haunt the kids for the rest of the movie keeps the watcher at the edge of their seat.

As all of the kids are introduced, from paranoid Eddie Kapsbrack to Mike Hanlon, who just can’t pull his weight on the family farm, there is a movie that is reminiscent of Stand by Me and other teenage flicks that last in the audience’s’ memory. However, there is, of course, still the lingering terrors awaiting them.

Pennywise the Clown, one of Steven King’s most infamous villains, sets his sights on this group of friends– The Losers’ Club, as they’ve dubbed themself– and presents himself to them in all different ways. From Bill Denbrough’s dead brother Georgie to Beverly Marsh’s “overprotective” father, Pennywise finds many ways to terrify the kids to the core. Pennywise manifests himself into fears that the everyday person can relate to, which makes this flick all the more horrifying. “My biggest fear is the dark, so you can understand why I did not go see this movie– I don’t want Pennywise coming after me at night,” senior Emily Pierce said.

The 2017 film is a remake of the 1990 version. This version includes the story of when they were kids, rather than the 1990 version including both the kids’ and adults’ story. Personally, I liked the way they separated the movies this time around– the 1990 movie was just over three hours long, and filled with as many details as King’s 1,150 page book. However, the 2017 film is around the typical two-hour time stamp, and all of the details that are needed are included.

Scary, fresh, and even a little too close to home for comfort, It is a movie that is, in a word, unforgettable. From the spectacular acting chops of characters young and old to the special effects that make Pennywise’s antics seem like they’re happening next to you, this movie is what one can call a modern classic. Whether you’re a horror fan or a teen movie buff, It will cause nightmares for generations to come– just as Stephen King intended.