r/horror • u/AutoModerator • Sep 21 '16
Discussion Series Stephen King's IT (1990) /R/HORROR Official Discussion
Welcome to /R/HORROR's official discussion series.
As before, nominations are still being accepted, so keep them coming. Click here.
To see the full schedule of upcoming discussions Click here.
13
Sep 21 '16
I think for a 90's TV movie its pretty great. But going back and watching it is a bummer. It doesn't stand the test of time. And especially after reading the book, there are so many sequences that they just couldn't or wouldn't put on TV that I feel gypped. Pennywise is absolutely my favorite villain and atim Curry was phenomenal but its tough to recommend to people because it isnvery obviously a 90's TV movie
9
u/TedIsReal Sep 21 '16
Definitely liked the first part with how they faced IT when they were kids, but it loses steam in the second part with the adults
Tim Curry is, without a doubt, the best part of this mini-series. Without him, this would probably be forgettable. I'm not even afraid of clowns, and the scene where Pennywise pops up from the drain in the school showers got stuck in my head for a long while trying to go to sleep.
I'm currently reading through the book and I'm finding it more creepy than the mini-series. I hope the remake film will be good and show some more things from the book that this mini-series didn't.
5
u/eddieswiss Sep 21 '16
I have the book sitting on my nightstand and have yet to read a single page, I keep putting it off. I tried watching this with my girlfriend (she loves it, but has a massive phobia of clowns) but for some reason it couldn't keep my attention. I think the fact that it being 3 hours is my main trouble with sitting down and watching.
I am however excited for the remake/reboot/whatever that's coming next year with Bill Skarsgaard as Pennywise. The dude's outfit looked haunting.
7
u/Berdahl88 Sep 21 '16
If you don't have the time to sit down and read the book, I highly recommend listening to the audio book narrated by Steven Weber. I usually listen to it while I'm cooking or doing whatever. You can pull it up on youtube for free.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (1)4
u/lets_trade_pikmin Sep 22 '16
The book is 10/10, might be my favorite novel ever. Absolutely horrifying. The movie doesn't do it justice.
I have my fingers crossed for the reboot. If it turns out even half as good as the book, it will be amazing.
→ More replies (1)
4
Sep 21 '16
Just rewatched this over the summer.
It's fun for nostalgia or if you like campy 90s stuff, but beyond that, it's not amazing.
The kid stuff is the better part of it IMO. The kid actors are decent-to-good, the period setting keeps it from feeling as dated as the rest of the movie, and it does a good job of pulling the viewer in and engrossing them in the world of being a scared little kid in Maine.
The adult stuff is way worse. It's super dated not just in its look but in the way its filmed and the music and the sound cues. The acting ranges from over the top to annoying. Bill looks ridiculous. And nothing happens.
That is honestly the biggest problem with the mini-series. It's like 4 hours long, but so little actually happens. Tim Curry is iconic as Pennywise, but most of his time in this movie is spent showing up, just kind of staring at people, and then vanishing without doing anything.
Even in the better part of the movie with the kids, that's all he really does. The only time Pennywise ever feels like a real threat is when he kills Georgie at the beginning. It's less like these kids are being menaced by Pennywise and more like they're being mildly irritated by him. The adult parts are so slow, once they get to Derry they just kind of putter around until they finally decide to go fight Pennywise. And we know how that ended up translating to the screen.
I loved this movie genuinely as a kid, and I still love it...but in a "this is so goofy/silly it's fun" way. It's not an awful movie, but it's a middling one that somehow manages to both feel too long and cut out too much of what makes the book special.
6
u/Citizen_Kong Sep 21 '16
The part with the children is magical, the one with the adults, not so much. Tim Curry created a horror movie icon and is directly responsible for the "scary clown" trope, I think. The ending is weak, but so is the book's (as usual in even the best King books).
3
u/M-S-S Sep 21 '16
ABC tried to recapture the magical ratings of the TV-Movie Salem's Lot. They succeeded and after this adaptation came all the horrid King "television budget cut for the time allotted" films.
3
u/Rcab210 Sep 21 '16
Fucking CLASSIC! Tim Curry made this movie everything it was! A little to long imo I'll never forget the VHS with 2 tapes lol. This movie has some longevity it will NEVER get old. Not to sure about this new 1... But I guess we'll have to see
35
u/polakbob Sep 21 '16
A movie that takes a little too much abuse in my opinion. It does a great job actually taking the time to do everyone's stories. Curry gives a hell of a performance as Pennywise. It admittedly suffers from an unbelievably lackluster ending, but the rest of the ride is worth it. I have no trouble recommending, "It."