Directed by Tommy Lee Wallace. Written by Wallace and Lawrence D. Cohen, based on a novel by Stephen King. Starring Tim Curry, Harry Anderson, Jonathan Brandis, Dennis Christopher, Seth Green, Olivia Hussey, Annette O’Toole, Emily Perkins, Tim Reid, John Ritter and Richard Thomas.
Plot: evil takes the shape of a clown to terrorize the children of Derry, Maine
It’s absolutely shameful that we’ve come this far and never talked much about the epic mini-series IT. But now that we’ve all seen the remake, or at least, we should have, we should talk about the original. This is one of the movies that turned us into the horror freaks we are and it’s the number one reason that we’re afraid of clowns. Of course.
While the book is even more disturbing (it always takes me several tries before I get through the whole thing – It spends a lot of time in the freezer), this mini-series is scary as fuck as well. Tim Curry is one of my nightmares. As he should be. He is simply radiant as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Whether he’s pulling Georgie into a sewer or popping up out of the shower drain or reaching his way right out of a photo album, he is just the scariest thing you’ve ever seen.
“…when you’re down here, you’ll float, too!”
There are other non-clown parts that are scary as well. The “Ms. Kersh” incident with Beverley is quite disturbing (“I worry about you, Bevvy. I worry a lot.”) as is the time Stan sees the mummy and has to recite all the birds to make him disappear. There’s just so much horror here that it’s impossible for it not to be one of our favorite movies of all time.
There were a couple of things I wish they had included in this mini-series that they did not. One, they should have had some lepers. Those parts in the book were really awful and would’ve been cool to see. Two, they should have given Eddie a wife. Making him a virgin was just stupid and done for no good reason. We already pitied him with the mother he had, we didn’t need to pity him more.
Still, this phenomenal cast gives us most everything we could want. All other clown movies are measured against this one. It is original. The kids are likable. The script is spectacular. And for a 1990 TV movie, the effects were top notch. Great direction and a good story make this one of the easiest movies to recommend. And we do so, wholly. If you haven’t seen this yet, you are really missing out on something great.
I suppose I could list my favorite movies here, but instead I'll give you a strange glimpse into what makes me TaraRomero.
1. I met George Romero. He was the kindest and sweetest man. He talked to me for longer than he should have with the line getting longer. He also held my hand. And when he noticed the ladybug I have tattooed on my wrist, he said he liked it and asked me it's name. Till then, it had not had a name. Now, I call him George.
2. I love stickers. All stickers. I just adore them. I even ask for stickers for Christmas! As a matter of fact, the birthday that just past, every member of my immediate family gave me sticker packs as gifts. Affordable and extremely appreciated.
3. I have never put much stock in astrology or horoscopes, but I LOVE the magic of the MBTI. Omg. I am an INFP and it actually sounds just like me. Introverted mostly. Creative always. Heart before head and not the most logical. Totally me! For better or worse.
4. It's no surprise I count horror so high up on the list of things that make me, me. However, it's so within my soul that I was part of the Horror Club in college. Interesting bunch. And even took a Horror Lit class as an elective. I got an A.
5. Coffee always makes me happy. Always. I'm particularly fond of caramel macchiatos. But I'll drink black coffee if it's the only thing available.
6. I hate shock for the sake of shock and endings that depress me. I always mention the movies Within (2016) and the Eli Roth produced, written and starred in, Aftershock (2012), as proof of this distate I have. I abhor the idea that just because I like horror, some people think I'd actually praise a movie that lets you think the "Final Girl" just made it through the night, only to slap her in the face with a tsunami.
7. We are big time animal people. I mean, if I could, I'd have an elephant, a bear, a zebra, a penguin, an otter and a meerkat, living with me. Seriously though. We have 2 dogs right now and 2 cats. Both cats we picked up when they each came to our front door hungry. And both dogs we got from 2 different sets of neighbors. Both who, unfortunately, don't know how to care for pets long-term. But they're happy and healthy now!!
8. Revisiting my love of horror, one of the above cats, my cat, is a little black guy named Church. Because Pet Sematary. His middle name is even Pascow. To give credit where credit's due, the name was DJ's idea. But he loves horror too!
9. I'm big into art. Along with movie posters and an Anne Frank quote, I have some actual paintings on my wall. I really think Dali paints beautifully when he wants to. And if I don't get to see Michaelangelo's Pieta in person some day, I will be very disappointed.
10. Lastly, I find Emily Dickinson's poetry intriguing. I took an elective course about her as well. But do you know I injected horror even there? I was given a poem to dissect and I picked one on death, of course. Then, I researched old "Death Photos" and even printed out copies for everyone in the class. They were so interested in looking at them that it stopped them from all looking at me, and I was able to deal quite well with my stage fright. Haha
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