The well-known writer, Stephen King, has always been known for his thought-provoking, twisted novels. You may know him from other famous titles such as Carrie, Pet Sematary, The Shining, and many other psychological horror films or novels. In this review, we will be comparing one of Stephen King’s most iconic books, IT. This analysis will be about the 1990s miniseries directed by Tommy Lee Wallace, Stephen King’s IT, and the newer version of this, the 2017 adaptation directed by Andy Muschietti, IT (referring to only chapter one, not chapter 2). Both of these movies are performed beautifully, but they tell the story in different ways. 

First, we will start off with a quick summarization of the miniseries version. It starts off in the setting of Derry, Maine; this place may seem normal, but it is far from it. This is also the home to a supernatural alien that feeds off the fear of people (mostly children). This entity usually takes the form of Pennywise: the dancing clown. The main characters are in a group called the Loser Club that they formed when they were 13 and when they first had their encounter with Pennywise. In the beginning of the movie, one of the members, Mike Hanlon, of their club starts to call the other 6 members (Bill Denbrough, Stan Uris, Eddie Kaspbrak, Beverly Marsh, Ben Hanscome, and Richie Tozier) one by one to warn them about how they needed to come back to Derry to defeat It after he just found a picture of Bill’s dead younger brother, Georgie, who dies by the hand of It. As the members get their calls, you see a flashback that makes them remember horrific things that have happened in Derry. These flashbacks all have some sort of correlation with It, which reminds them of their pact when they were kids. When they were kids, they all teamed up against It to defeat this monster. They made this pact in case It was not actually dead. Once they all reunite, they go to defeat It one last time. They soon begin to realise that in order to defeat this entity, they have to confront their own scars, so they have nothing to fear. In this whole movie, you see very little blood, but no graphic scenes in this miniseries.

Second, we will now talk about the 2017 adaptation. It starts off at 13-year-old Bill Denbrough, the leader of the Loser Club, and his little brother at his house. In the opening scene, Georgie dies in a very gruesome, graphic way that is very detailed. In this version, the members of the Loser club are all 13, and it foreshadows a little bit towards what happens in It: Chapter Two. It goes into deeper detail about the town, the Loser Club members, how they got their club name, and so much more. They really go into themes that kids have to deal/dealt with in their childhoods. Each member of the Loser’s club seemed to resemble a theme that causes trauma (abuse, overprotectiveness, etc.). In this movie, personally, I think they had better acting skills from the way they read their lines to the look of terror on their faces. Overall, this movie is a very gory and twisted horror movie.

In both movies, they had a supernatural creature that could turn into anyone’s worst fear, but mostly took the identity of a clown. But there are some major differences in how these “clowns” act in their movies. In the TV miniseries, Tim Curry played as It and stayed in the form of Pennywise for most of the series. His character took more of the role of the classic “fun” clown you would see at a balloon party or a circus. In the 2017 movie, Bill Skarsgård also portrayed it. His character took on more of a dark, depressed clown that gave you eerie vibes as soon as you saw him and his outfit. The difference between these two amazing actors is that Tim Curry seemed to have a more friendly outfit and persona, unlike Bill Skarsgård, who took on a more unsettling look for his costume. Which I think also points out how, with the miniseries, it’s more kid-friendly while still being a horror. With the 2017 version, it’s more uncanny and dark.

Overall, these are both amazing works of art and both should be watched. My personal favorite is the 2017 version, only because I prefer the gore and the more physiological themes. If you want to watch the movie version of Stephen King’s IT, then I would recommend the miniseries since it does portray all the main concepts while leaving out the graphic parts. If I had to rate these, I would rate the miniseries a B+ just because I prefer the detailed, gory parts. I would rate the 2017 version an A+ because the gore is there, the scare factor, it touches on deeper meanings, and much more.