Early this month, New Line Cinema released the sequel for the 2017 remake of the movie It. It picks up twenty three years later, continuing the story with the Losers Club and the whole gang. Each one of the characters is drawn back to their hometown, Derry, where it all began. Someone, or something brought them back to that town that terrorized them, running them out of town, only their memory of the past has left too.

The original remake of the 1990’s It movie, has big shoes to fill, especially with the role of pennywise, played by Tim Curry. What made the remake a success in the theaters was that it took the original idea of the It miniseries and spun it into a gruesome and thrilling major motion picture. Now the second movie continues following the same horrific theme. Another thing that made the second two movies better than the original movie, was the advancement in technology since then. Film making, especially in the horror genre, has grown to become a massive industry. They continue to spin childhood fears into adulthood, taking the graphics and special effects and creating uprooting those hidden fears. Junior, Faith Jones, shared that, “the idea of jump scares put more fear into people. For horror movies that is what people expect”. 

The idea of jump scares and suspense can make or break a horror movie. It is about creating an atmosphere that pulls people into a reality where they can’t find a sense of comfort, it is the feeling of not knowing what is happening or what your surroundings really are. The second It movie tried to pull off that same level of terror that was in the first movie, but they just missed their mark. Cinematically, the movie was shot in an interesting way to incorporate both the Losers Club as children and as adults. But that was the only interesting part of the movie, the way it was shot. Otherwise the plot was bland and the movie either should have stopped at the first movie or been a long one-shot amazing film. Senior, Sam Stanton, stated that, “The original movie was hyped up so much and it turned out to be okay. This movie they did the same thing, hyped up the sequel, but it looks unexciting and repetitive of the first movie”. This was true, sticking to the original or the first remake it the better bet.

The It movie franchise has tried their hardest to break into the horror movie relm and become one of the scarier movie choices. For those who find scary movies to be too much may not be able to handle this series. Junior, Phoebe Moore, said that she has never had an interest in scary movies or anything scary in general. So recommending this series for her wouldn’t be in her best interest. I would say that those who are looking for a thrill, and to be afraid to look over their shoulder because they might see pennywise around the corner, It and It II is the series for them.