You'll Float Too - 'IT' vs 'IT'

This blog post contains spoilers for 'IT' (1990) and 'IT' (2017)

It can be difficult to convince any horror fans that any kind of remake could ever be better than the original, often fans will put their favourite cult classics on a pedestal and demand all remakes be banned immediately. The 'IT' series reboot was controversial among fans of the series, the fact it was adapted from a Stephen King novel only added to this controversy as this added even more loyal fans having their say on why it was a horrible idea. 

However, I went into the 2017 remake with an open mind. While I admit there have been several remakes of other classics that terrified me in more ways than cheap jump scares (looking at you 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' circa 2010), I couldn't help but enjoy the new 'IT' film. I struggled to even compare the two films in my head as I watched as I felt as though I was watching a totally different franchise, perhaps this was due to the significant gap in time between the two productions, or perhaps it was the different approach the remake took to the timing.

The original 'IT' in 1990 was a two-part miniseries that was shown on television that is now more commonly viewed in its entirety as a 'film', before the release of 'IT', the majority of Stephen King's theatrical versions of his novels were flopping until 'Stand By Me' in 1986 became a success and networks began to take notice of King's other novels, leading to ABC taking the risky decision to adapt 'IT' into the series we know today. 

The miniseries follows the loser club when they are children being tormented by Pennywise the Dancing Clown, then follows them into adulthood as they return to Derry to defeat the clown once and for all. If you watch the series as a film this means the entire story is told by the time the credits roll. Due to the significant length of the novel at nearly 800 pages, some fans argue the story was almost slightly rushed and key character details or scenes were left out. (Although, I don't think anyone is mad about that sewer scene being left out).

So what did the remake do differently? 'IT' (2017) took a whole movie to focus on the loser club as children, with not even a glimpse at their adult selves. While the miniseries spent 3 hours telling the entire story, the remake took over 2 hours just to set the scene with the characters as children. This allowed us to get to know the kids better, with more time to care about them as they were tormented by Pennywise and his forms. The film is also set in 1988 rather than the 60s like the miniseries, meaning adults watching in 2017 would relate to the kids in the loser club more as they grew up in the same decade. 

Improved CGI in recent years added new opportunities for the remake, especially in the new forms of the clown as the leprosy man and the headless figure in the library, however, it is difficult to argue how well Tim Curry was able to frighten people all over the world with nothing but a painted face and false teeth. The simplicity in the effects and makeup for the miniseries added a sense of reality to Pennywise, while at times in the remake the CGI almost looked silly and took away from the scare factor. 

Choosing to open the remake with an almost identical sequence of events to the opening of the miniseries was off-putting to many fans, forcing immediate comparisons between the two productions. The rest of the film changes most scenes and interactions to fit the modern release date and updated time setting of 1988, but no other scene is quite as jarring and similar to the opening scenes. The 'new' Pennywise is different visually from the original, but at times came across as almost comical rather than scary or menacing due to the over-the-top CGI and repetition of the exact lines from the miniseries.

While the pace is slowed down and more true to the novel in the remake, the overuse of CGI is hard to overlook. The miniseries may have told the story at a faster pace, but the performance by Tim Curry and the sense of reality achieved by a lack of CGI (using objects such as sheets on a washing line is effective as a simple scare) helped cement the series as the cult classic it is today. 

So, while the remake is a fun adaptation of the novel and easily rewatchable, it ultimately falls into the category of 'modern, computer-generated, jump scare' films that are churned out year after year. Not a bad film by any means and the miniseries was by no means 'better', but very much more forgettable than the original series. 

The biggest lesson here is to teach your children to never speak to strangers, especially if they're a cross-eyed killer clown hiding in a storm drain.