The Reel Review
This big screen adaptation of the popular Stephen King horror novel focuses on the fictional town of Derry, Maine, where a sudden string of missing children in the late 1980s leads a group of young people to a gruesome discovery – that the abductions are the sinister work of a demon that dwells in the town’s sewers every 27 years.
While It showcases a truly horrifying monster, a non-stop string of scares and some hilarious (and well-placed) comic relief, it is the stellar cast of young actors and their well-woven coming of age tales about conquering real life childhood horrors (parental abuse, bullying, the death of family members, etc.) that gives this film (one of the best adaptations of King’s novels) such emotional resonance – think Stand By Me but with a much darker vibe. It‘s only flaws are minor: the story feels like a random series of vignettes until it gels after the first 30 minutes, and its midsection would have benefitted from some editing. This is one super scary, well done film.
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