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Spooktober 25: #10 My childhood trauma resurfaces. It (1990) was one of the first horrors to truly terrify me to my core. Despite it's relatively low budget and cheap look; it crawled under my skin and seeped into my nightmares. I began avoiding storm drains and became paranoid that Pennywise would emerge from the darkness. Revisting this years later it's not as scary and at times goofy, but the dread and terror remains dormant; defining a prominent part of my childhood and solidifying my love for horror. The cinematography isn't that special and is rather conventional; but it does create a liminal and uncanny feeling to the town of Derry. Eerie wides portray Derry like a place lost in time; haunted by it's history of tragic events and the evil buried within it. Close ups and tracking shots elevate the trauma and horror of the Loser's Club; revealing their past memories and encounters with Pennywise in unsettling ways. First and foremost, Tim Curry is incredible. His interpretation of Pennywise is my favourite; masking his sinister and cruel intentions through goofiness and alluring charm. The image of his piercing blue eyes and razor sharp smile seared itself into my brain. He embodies Pennywise as an ancient entity that takes pleasure in scaring and eating children. The Loser's Club is a mixed bag for both the child and adult actors. Jonathan Brandis is amazing. His heartbreaking performance harnesses the guilt and grief of Bill and his protective nature of the group. Emily Perkins is wonderful. Her performance is sweet but resilient; showcasing her maturity among the boys. Seth Green is great. His performance is charming; cracking jokes and insults to lighten the mood. Adam Faraizl is pretty good. He captures Eddie's neurotic but loyal personality quite well. Brandon Crane is good but his acting sometimes leans into awkward and cringy territory. Ben Heller and Marlon Taylor are the weakest of the kids. Both of their performances are very stiff and one note which is disappointing because I love Mike and Stan as characters. Richard Thomas is also amazing as adult Bill. He brings the nuance found in Brandis performance; communicating the trauma of his childhood is such a palpable and upsetting manner. Tim Reid is lovely. He helps provide responsibility and support to the group as they confront their past. Annette O'Toole channels Perkin's performance quite well but isn't as strong in delivering some lines. Dennis Christopher is great. His performance injects more empathy into Eddie and his largely lonely life. John Ritter is surprisingly funny and heartfelt; allowing Ben to flower into a mature but flawed man. Richard Masur is quite good; perfectly communicating the everlasting effect childhood trauma can bring. Harry Anderson is the weakest of the adults. His performance makes Richie far more annoying and he definitely doesn't feel like his younger counterpart. The score is cheesy but at times; very creepy. It balances between orchestral compositions and synth music; evoking a sense of uncanniness and dread amidst melodic pianos and horns mixed with uneasy circus chimes. Many tracks still send chills down my spine as it pulls me back to my first time watching it. The first half is pretty great despite it's limitations and some weak acting. It really captures the eeriness of Derry and how isolated the kids feel from the town. The structure is awesome as it follows the book's forms; jumping between the past and present. The bond of the Loser's Club and the final confrontation is so good; even if some of the low budget hinders it's creativity. The second half though is a tough watch. It begins to really lose steam and feel like they're aimlessly rushing towards the end. Most of the acting is quite wooden and not as strong which I feel is more the fault of the script or direction. It also completely turns Pennywise from a malevolent being into a wise-cracking clown played for laughs which just takes away all of the horror. The ending is always the hardest to translate and it's the definitely is the weakest aspect; turning into a badly stop-motion battle with no real satisfaction. Despite it's flaws, it was one of the first pieces of media to scar me. Stephen King crafted a genuinely incredible tale of childhood trauma and one that made me appreciate horror so much. Even if this film is mediocre at times; I can't deny how it leaves me feeling uneasy and revert back to a terrified child. "I'm every nightmare you've ever had. I'm your worst dream come true. I'm everything you ever were afraid of!" 7/10