There’s a lot of buzz about the upcoming movie IT. Some that hold the original miniseries dear to their hearts claim that despite the new special effects that this new version won’t be nearly as good as the old one. Others claim that Tim Curry was and should be the only Pennywise that history remembers. There are still those however that are willing to give this new attempt a chance. Already it’s looking promising thanks to the special effects and the fact that several more factoids out of the book will be making an appearance. There are several other factors seen in the trailer that seem to support the idea that this new version of IT will in fact be far scarier than the original.
We can only wait and see just how accurate people’s predictions will be. Until then however, let’s break down the trailer and see just what we can see that might tell us what to expect.
Pennywise will still retain his place in Derry legends.
The infamous clown, the face of IT in the movie, is reportedly a part of Derry from the beginning and quite possibly before the town was even conceived. The creature has been a part of some of the worst occurrences in the town and seems to show up whenever disaster is about to strike or has already occurred. This was a creepy but engaging element in the original and seems poised to resume its rightful place in the newest version.
The iconic scene with Georgie is almost exactly the same.
The dialogue will be different no doubt as it needs to be, but the fateful meeting between Pennywise and Georgie will still take place. This will bring Bill to the realization that there is in fact something very wrong in Derry, and that no one, especially children, are safe. It will also give him a reason to hate and go after Pennywise, which is the same in the original and the book.
The new Pennywise looks more like the demonic thing that Stephen King was going for in the book.
There’s absolutely no disrespect meant towards Tim Curry. He remains a legend in this role and will always be so. The only thing that hampered him a little was the lack of a special effects budget that had him make do with fake teeth and whatever expressions he could muster. This new Pennywise will have to be spot on with his expressions as well, but will be given a lot more special effects mastery to add to his terrifying appearance.
There’s a difference in their hunting methods.
In the original film Tim Curry’s Pennywise was loud, obnoxious, and was out to drive the kids crazy with fear because it made them so much more delectable. In this new version Pennywise seems more like a silent predator that will only get loud and extremely violent when he attacks. The clown in the original knew that only kids could see and hear him, but maybe that’s been reversed in this new film. Or maybe it means that Pennywise is more influential than he’s ever been.
It’s going to be interesting to see what’s left for Pennywise to show us once we get to see beyond the trailer.
