It (2017)

[Leonidas King]

Originally Posted by charlieray1

I'm really surprised by all the tremendous success and praise this is getting. I liked it, but over-all felt let down. I give it 2.5 stars, maybe 3. I LOVED the opening with Georgie, where Pennywise is sinister and evil as he talks to the boy and lures him in, and there were many other good touches, but after the opening scene Pennywise is reduced to one jump-scare after another. He does little but leap up with loud scare chords blaring. He becomes more of a special effect than a character.

The production quality was excellent, the cast and acting were very good and I liked the ending, but I felt like many individual scenes and the overall story were really sold short in exchange for non-stop shock cuts ... which are more annoying than shocking after too many.

I DID like it, but I felt like it was a potentially great horror movie that ended up as a bit better than average after being dumbed down with typical teen horror techniques.

I know the old series looks cheaper, has moments of sticky acting and a weak climax, but I do feel that it told the story better. And it had scenes (like Bev and the old woman in her house, or all the balloons in the library) that were genuinely eerie - a feeling which lasts after the movie is over, where jump scares do not. (And that's not childhood nostalgia talking -- I was 30 when it came out, first saw it years later.)

Glad everone is loving it -- not trying to be a troll. Just surprised by this much love for It.

Everything you just mentioned sums up the way I feel about it but I wasnt too hard on it with the rating. A 3.5 seemed proper to me.

[therealjondoe]

This is the least scary horror movie I've seen in a long time.
Kids were good
I just don't get the hype.
Annabelle 2 was way scarier.
Maybe this is a horror movie for people that don't normally see horror movies.

[Shingster]

And Annabelle: Creation is the horror for aficionados? It's about as scary as a fart in the wind.

[therealjondoe]

Originally Posted by Shingster

And Annabelle: Creation is the horror for aficionados? It's about as scary as a fart in the wind.

Annabelle 2 was a lot scarier than it.
So was Don't knock twice.
I'd take the conjuring series over it also

[Predatorix38417]

Originally Posted by therealjondoe

This is the least scary horror movie I've seen in a long time.
Kids were good
I just don't get the hype.
Annabelle 2 was way scarier.
Maybe this is a horror movie for people that don't normally see horror movies.

IT isn't trying to scare you every chance it gets, there's a story at the center of it all that comes first.

[therealjondoe]

Originally Posted by Predatorix38417

IT isn't trying to scare you every chance it gets, there's a story at the center of it all that comes first.

A horror movie needs to have some sense of dread and or scares.
I think it was the way the scares were delivered was the problem.
Maybe less cg

[Spike M.]

I'd be more sympathetic toward complaints about the movie not being "scary" if the classic horror movies it was following in the footsteps of were actually "scary". Poltergeist and Goonies and Lost Boys and Elm Street aren't bone chilling. They're pulpy blockbuster* horror with charm.

*Your defintion may vary.

[therealjondoe]

Originally Posted by Spike M.

I'd be more sympathetic toward complaints about the movie not being "scary" if the classic horror movies it was following in the footsteps of were actually "scary". Poltergeist and Goonies and Lost Boys and Elm Street aren't bone chilling. They're pulpy blockbuster* horror with charm.

*Your defintion may vary.

Poltergeist was creepy and elm street was definitely haunting.
this is more akin to an elm street sequel with better acting lol

[Gamma_Winstead]

I always find it fascinating to see what people like about horror films. To me, the best horror films aren't about how "scary" it is. After one viewing, scares cease to matter. A film based solely around scares means nothing after the first viewing. The best horror films of all time (The Thing, The Shining, Halloween, Dawn/Night of the Living Dead, and even Scream) go so far beyond "boo it spooky". They don't forget to be films. They have characters with arcs, plots, humor, and twists. I know every beat, every time something is set up to scare you. They work because they take the concept of telling a story seriously, beyond just being there to frighten.

There have been people who've said IT failed to connect with them. The characters didn't work, they didn't get attached. I don't begrudge them that criticism. It's valid, and I can see why the film wouldn't work for them. It's a criticism that has merit, and stands up to scrutiny.

When I see someone say "this movie wasn't scary, Annabelle Creation was better because it was scarier" well I can't help but laugh. Sure, AC scared me a bit. I jumped at a few moments. Had some genieune tension in others. But what about outside of that? What happens a month later? A year later? Nothing. Annabelle Creation is a haunted house tour. It's the only way to watch the film. You won't be getting any attempts at deeper character drama. No arcs that are fully realized. Like a haunted house, it succeeds in making you jump, but fails to do anything more than that, because really, it's not meant to. It exists for cheap thrills, and not much more.

When the "scares" wear off for IT, you're left with a film still. One with stories to tell. One with arcs for many of its characters. One that has purpose outside of scaring. It may not have worked for everyone that saw it, but I'd rather a film try and fail for some, than not try at all.

[therealjondoe]

Originally Posted by Gamma_Winstead

I always find it fascinating to see what people like about horror films. To me, the best horror films aren't about how "scary" it is. After one viewing, scares cease to matter. A film based solely around scares means nothing after the first viewing. The best horror films of all time (The Thing, The Shining, Halloween, Dawn/Night of the Living Dead, and even Scream) go so far beyond "boo it spooky". They don't forget to be films. They have characters with arcs, plots, humor, and twists. I know every beat, every time something is set up to scare you. They work because they take the concept of telling a story seriously, beyond just being there to frighten.

There have been people who've said IT failed to connect with them. The characters didn't work, they didn't get attached. I don't begrudge them that criticism. It's valid, and I can see why the film wouldn't work for them. It's a criticism that has merit, and stands up to scrutiny.

When I see someone say "this movie wasn't scary, Annabelle Creation was better because it was scarier" well I can't help but laugh. Sure, AC scared me a bit. I jumped at a few moments. Had some genieune tension in others. But what about outside of that? What happens a month later? A year later? Nothing. Annabelle Creation is a haunted house tour. It's the only way to watch the film. You won't be getting any attempts at deeper character drama. No arcs that are fully realized. Like a haunted house, it succeeds in making you jump, but fails to do anything more than that, because really, it's not meant to. It exists for cheap thrills, and not much more.

When the "scares" wear off for IT, you're left with a film still. One with stories to tell. One with arcs for many of its characters. One that has purpose outside of scaring. It may not have worked for everyone that saw it, but I'd rather a film try and fail for some, than not try at all.

The scares were not there to wear off with It though.

[nofear6061]

"It: Chapter Two" officially has a release date of September 6, 2019.

[Rodney-2187]

A few of those child actors are better than many adult actors lately.

[xbs2034]

When I went to see Stronger tonight, saw something I don't think I've ever seen before. There was a flyer posted on the box office window with big, bold letters saying "Parents- It is rated R" (with the R in red) and then listed what it contains such as bloody violence, strong language, and the death of children, and that they do not recommend bringing anyone under 17 to the movie.

The flyer wasn't there when I saw It at that theater on opening day, so I'm guessing a bunch of people brought kids and then complained.

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by xbs2034

When I went to see Stronger tonight, saw something I don't think I've ever seen before. There was a flyer posted on the box office window with big, bold letters saying "Parents- It is rated R" (with the R in red) and then listed what it contains such as bloody violence, strong language, and the death of children, and that they do not recommend bringing anyone under 17 to the movie.

The flyer wasn't there when I saw It at that theater on opening day, so I'm guessing a bunch of people brought kids and then complained.

That's funny. Parents probably just "complained" so they could get their money back after overestimating their kid's courage.

[Hellraiserfan]

Originally Posted by Gamma_Winstead

I always find it fascinating to see what people like about horror films. To me, the best horror films aren't about how "scary" it is. After one viewing, scares cease to matter. A film based solely around scares means nothing after the first viewing. The best horror films of all time (The Thing, The Shining, Halloween, Dawn/Night of the Living Dead, and even Scream) go so far beyond "boo it spooky". They don't forget to be films. They have characters with arcs, plots, humor, and twists. I know every beat, every time something is set up to scare you. They work because they take the concept of telling a story seriously, beyond just being there to frighten.

There have been people who've said IT failed to connect with them. The characters didn't work, they didn't get attached. I don't begrudge them that criticism. It's valid, and I can see why the film wouldn't work for them. It's a criticism that has merit, and stands up to scrutiny.

When I see someone say "this movie wasn't scary, Annabelle Creation was better because it was scarier" well I can't help but laugh. Sure, AC scared me a bit. I jumped at a few moments. Had some genieune tension in others. But what about outside of that? What happens a month later? A year later? Nothing. Annabelle Creation is a haunted house tour. It's the only way to watch the film. You won't be getting any attempts at deeper character drama. No arcs that are fully realized. Like a haunted house, it succeeds in making you jump, but fails to do anything more than that, because really, it's not meant to. It exists for cheap thrills, and not much more.

When the "scares" wear off for IT, you're left with a film still. One with stories to tell. One with arcs for many of its characters. One that has purpose outside of scaring. It may not have worked for everyone that saw it, but I'd rather a film try and fail for some, than not try at all.

As a hardcore horror film geek/buff I have to say that I love this post.

The problem is people in their "reviews" keep using the word "scary". What they should be using are words like, "tense", "unsettling" or "creepy". I've been saying for years that if you're an adult and the movie does Not involve anything you might have a phobia of, you shouldn't be "scared" of any movies anymore. At an adult age at least.

[Astro Zombie]

Originally Posted by Shingster

And Annabelle: Creation is the horror for aficionados? It's about as scary as a fart in the wind.

Those are pretty scary to be fair

[A Sith Lord?]

Originally Posted by Astro Zombie

Those are pretty scary to be fair

Yep. Look at how startled Peter was when he first discovered he farted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiI8...ature=youtu.be

[wonderer99]

People arguing over what horror film was scarier? One of the more pointless things to do on a movie forum.

[levcore]

Annabelle Creation was awesome, fantastic horror movie. I agree it's like a haunted house ride but that's what I love about it.

[Cremildo]

Burger King Russia Demands 'It' Ban, Saying Clown Looks Like Ronald McDonald