When they first announced that IT is getting a remake in 2017, I was honestly like, nah man, why they’re doing this again. The 1990 miniseries with Tim Curry was something that I watched when I was probably like 8 or 9 years old on DVD, and that performance was just iconic, like there’s no way anyone can top that creepy voice and that smile. Tim Curry’s Pennywise was the thing that made me scared of clowns for years. So yeah, I genuinely thought this is going be one of those unnecessary remake that Hollywood keep pumping out.
IT 2017 Review Scores
| Review Platform | Rating Score |
| MovieSharp | 8.5/10 |
| IMDB | 7.3/10 |
| Rotten Tomatoes | 85% |
| Metacritic | 69% |
Review scores are based on publicly available data collected on December 20, 2025
But then the first trailer dropped in March 2017 and holy shit, that trailer alone got like 197 million views in just 24 hours breaking some record or something. I was in university at that time and I remember my roommates and I watching that trailer on repeat, everyone in the dorm was talking about it, sharing it on Facebook and Twitter. (I was actually doing my own movie blog around that time – and yeah I was kind of new to that) The hype was unreal. And I started thinking, okay maybe this could be something different, maybe they actually going to do justice to Stephen King’s novel this time.
So the movie finally came out September 2017 and Andy Muschietti who directed that “Mama” movie which was decent horror film, he really delivered something special here. The opening scene with Georgie and the yellow raincoat, that scene was brutal, way more brutal than the original miniseries. When Pennywise ripped his arm, it was so graphic and disturbing that even I was shocked they showed that in the movie, and then watching Georgie crawling and crying for Bill while bleeding out before getting dragged to the sewers..that was nightmare right there.
The Losers Club was casted perfectly, like every single one of them felt so real and you actually care about what happen to them. Jaeden Martell as Bill Denbrough, Sophia Lillis as Beverly, Finn Wolfhard as Richie who was also in Stranger Things at that time, they all had this amazing chemistry together that made you belive they’re actual friends. The way they talk to each other, the way they joke around, it all felt very natural and not like some scripted Hollywood dialogues.
Now Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise, at first I was skeptical because again, Tim Curry’s performance was so iconic, but Bill created something completely different and terrifying in his own way. The way his eyes looks at different directions, one eye looking at you while other eye doing something else, that lazy eye thing was so unsettling. And his voice, that high pitched childish voice mixed with something demonic, and how his mouth drooling when he’s excited about fear..it was disturbing in the best way possible for horror movie. He made Pennywise his own and honestly after watching this, I can’t imagine anyone else playing this role better than him.
The movie didn’t rely on cheap jump scares like most horror movies these days do. It builds up the tension, the atmosphere was just perfect. The cinematography was beautiful yet creepy at same time, capturing that 80s vibe really well. Every location in Derry feels haunted and dangerous, especially that creepy house on Neibolt Street where they confront Pennywise, that whole sequence was intense.
One thing I really liked about IT 2017 is how it’s not just monster hunting kids, it also showing each kid dealing with their own personal demons and traumas. Beverly dealing with her abusive father, Eddie with his overprotective mother, Bill with guilt of losing Georgie, Ben being bullied for his weight, all of this made the characters more deeper and relatable. It’s a coming of age story wrapped inside horror movie, and that’s what makes it work so well beyond just being scary.
The movie made insane amount of money at box office, like it opened with $123 million on opening weekend which was record breaking for horror movie at that time, beating previous record holder which was some Hannibal movie from 2001. It ended up making over $700 million worldwide against just $35 million budget, making it the highest grossing horror film ever at that time, even beating The Exorcist record which hold that title since 1973. The movie was everywhere, everyone was talking about it, there was memes about Pennywise dancing, the red balloon became iconic symbol again.
Critics also loved it, it got 85% on Rotten Tomatoes which is rare for horror movies to get that high score. People were calling it one of the best Stephen King adaptations ever made, and honestly I agree with that. It respected the source material while also making it fresh and modern for new audience.
The only thing I would say is some parts in the middle felt bit slow, like there’s some scenes that could have been trimmed down a bit, but it’s not enough to ruin the overall experience. The movie is 2 hours and 15 minutes long and most of that time was used to develop the characters properly which is good thing actually because you need to care about characters to feel scared for them.
The music by Benjamin Wallfisch was really good too, especially that creepy theme that plays whenever Pennywise appears, it adds so much to the atmosphere. And the practical effects mixed with CGI was done really well for most part, making Pennywise transformations looks both realistic and nightmarish at same time.
IT 2017 Movie Review: Final Verdict and Recommendation
So do I recommend watching IT 2017? Hell yeah, absolutely. Whether you’re a Stephen King fan or just horror fan in general, this movie is must watch. It’s the movie that reminded everyone why Stephen King is called the master of horror, and why Pennywise is one of the most iconic horror villains ever created. Just maybe don’t watch it alone at night especially if you have storm drains near your house, because you’ll definitely be thinking about those red balloons and that “you’ll float too” line.
The movie proved that remakes can actually be good if you have the right director with right vision who respects the source material while also bringing something new to the table. Andy Muschietti nailed it with this one, creating horror film that works both as scary movie and as emotional story about friendship and facing your fears. It’s rare to see horror movie that does both things well, and IT 2017 is one of those rare cases.
Watch the official IT 2017 movie trailer here and see Pennywise in action!