It is an undisputable fact that Stephen King’s seminal bestselling horror novel It, first published in 1986, is one of the very prolific author’s more popular novels. When published, it became an instant classic, and is still scaring readers out of their wits decades later.
And now, director Andy Muschietti, whose sole venture prior to this was 2013’s critically and commercially acclaimed horror Mama, is bringing It to the screen for the first time. The book had been adapted as a TV mini-series in 1990.
‘It’ is the story’s central villain, an ancient shapeshifter that takes the form of its victims’ deepest fears and comes out of hibernation every 27 years to feed on the children of Derry, Maine.
“I am a big fan of Stephen King, who was my favourite author growing up, so It was a dream project for me,” says Muschietti. “As someone who loves making scary movies, I have always been fascinated by fear, and probably the time when you’re the most terrified is when you’re a child watching your first horror movie.
“It’s a feeling you won’t have again for the rest of your life, so it’s become a bit of a chimeric quest for me to bring that sensation back. That helps me create because I believe you can only scare other people with what scares you, too.”
Among his innumerable gifts is King’s ability to truly capture the essence of growing up… while using horror as a powerful metaphor. And the coming-of-age story at the heart of It is a classic example of that.
The important thing is they kept the core idea that Pennywise gets to these kids by finding out what they’re most afraid of
Says producer Seth Grahame-Smith: “We knew from the very beginning of this process that It was more than just a horror story, and the movie had to reflect the different tones of the novel. It’s set at a certain time in these young characters’ lives when they are truly coming of age. So we wanted the film to capture the charm of those character-driven moments, but in turn be utterly petrifying.”
Muschietti’s sister and creative partner, producer Barbara Muschietti, credits the screenwriters with finding that balance. “Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga and Gary Dauberman were able to capture the touching facets of friendship between the Losers’ Club (as the group of friends at the heart of the film are known) and even a brush with the first love of adolescence. But make no mistake, you are going to be scared,” she emphasises.
The terror of It is embodied in the malevolent clown Pennywise, devourer of children, connoisseur of fear. Bill Skarsgård, who took on the villainous role, says: “I was very familiar with It and the character of Pennywise growing up. The way I look at it, he needs children to believe in what they’re seeing and to be afraid, in order to consume them, because fear seasons the flesh. To me, as a kid and even now, that is the most frightening concept ever.”
Young actor Jaeden Lieberher plays the de facto leader of the Losers’ Club. “It’s definitely about overcoming fear because if the kids aren’t afraid of Pennywise, they have a chance of beating him,” opines Lieberher. “But it’s really scary watching all the bad things that are happening to them.”
Conscious of the task of adapting a beloved, 1,000-plus-page tome for the big screen, Grahame-Smith says: “We all felt a great responsibility to be true to the spirit of the novel because it’s a book that has been very important to Stephen King fans. And that includes everyone who worked so hard to finally bring it to the big screen.”
There was one important change the filmmakers agreed upon in adapting the screenplay – moving the timeframe from the 1950s to the 1980s. Barbara Muschietti explains the reasoning behind this decision.
“The 1950s is when Stephen King grew up, so that was his generation, and the book reflects the fears of his formative years. Stephen always says to write what you know. So we wanted to make the film about what we know – growing up in the 1980s – and to evoke the kind of things we were afraid of then.”
And what does uber-author King himself say? “The filmmakers went in a direction that’s a little different from the novel, but the important thing is they kept the core idea that Pennywise gets to these kids by finding out what they’re most afraid of, and being that thing. Andy understood that; he understood that completely, and I think he did us proud.”