It - book and adaptations

[Zeljka]

It (2017) hasn't yet arrived in our cinemas but it has already received accolades from those were lucky to see the advance screenings. I hope you'll avoid temptation and read the book first :)

I remember watching the two-part TV series It (1990) when I was a kid. It definitely wasn't an age-appropriate show, but strangely, it was shown on our national TV in age-appropriate hours and I watched it together with my family. We were all scared out of our wits. I don't know if it is still possible to buy or loan, but I'll surely like to watch it again. However, I am not sure if it'll be too much together with the movie!

Tell me if you have seen the TV show too. What did you think of it? Have you read the book? I didn't, and I am eager to read it. King became one of my favourite authors after reading Carrie, Mist and Shining.

[Summer]

This book is one of my all-time favorites, and I'm definitely looking forward to the discussion.

I know the miniseries is available for digital purchase on Amazon, but I don't think it's rentable. In hindsight it's not stellar, but I think they did a pretty good job with so much story to tell. I think it's definitely worth a watch.

[Zeljka]

Esse wrote: "This book is one of my all-time favorites, and I'm definitely looking forward to the discussion..."

I just started reading it last night. It is sooo creepy! I can't wait to continue reading it tonight. The last chapter concerned Rich arranging his trip back home. I love the suspense, can't wait to see what that was about a promise, and why it was so unbearable for Stanley, in comparison with other boys in the group.

[Zeljka]

Still reading It, I think I am halfway through the book... And having real nightmares, because I am usually reading it before sleep! Not recommended o.O

[Zeljka]

I can't believe I haven't written anything about the book till now. If Matthew didn't post his opinion on Pet Sematary, I wouldn't check this one. Ok, let's recap...

The Book
I really enjoyed this book. I think at that time I was going through my own nightmare, so I didn't find the ending so particularly scary, but the book as a whole was totally frightening. I hated only that part with Beverly and the boys. I can't believe editors allowed that to be published. It was so disgusting and something NO girl would EVER even suggest. Big NO. The book went sort of downhill from there, after one ending came another one, and another one, I remember I thought of Peter Jackson and his LotR finish.

IT - the mini-series
I found it terrible. It did scare me a lot when I was a child, but now, it is so outdated, the script was sub-par and acting mediocre, missing real spark. I didn't feel the actors really involved with the characters they played. The show lacked too many content from the novel, and the effects were so lousy. In an effort to show the scary opponent they have lost credibility. Sometimes the less is more (always refer to Alien when you do not have a big budget but good script).

IT - Chapter One
Whoever decided to set it in 80s, so that the Chapter Two is set today, deserves promotion. That time before all technology we have today but still all so familiar, was perfect. The movie managed to picture Derry convincingly and the state of its' inhabitants' mind. Kids were brilliant, especially considering how it is difficult to film children in horror movies. Not to mention the movie was a lot scarrier than the mini-series. Pennywise was truly disturbing, just like in the book. Many details in the movie are inspired directly by the book, but luckily the most controversial part of the book (see above) wasn't in it. Anyway, seeing the same director helmed the chapter two, I am eager to see that too.

[Zeljka]

And now here comes the word from Stephen King about It - Chapter Two:



(source: ScreenGeek: Stephen King Has Seen ‘IT: Chapter 2’)

[Zeljka]

Brilliant article about the book (and movies):

AV CLUB / A.A. Dowd: Re-reading Stephen King’s It and confronting my own personal Derry

[Zeljka]

I watched IT Chapter Two last night, and liked it very much. Some subplots weren't present (for example, Bill's wife and Bev's husband had only a fleeting appearance at the beginning of the film), and some plot points were a bit different, but it didn't matter, really. The movie was well done, with emotional childhood flashbacks for each character, just like in the book. The children from the first movie were the best. I wanted to hug and protect them all. The adult Losers were strikingly similar to the kids, some not so much for their physical appearance, but for their speech and gestures. I liked their performances. They were much better than those from the mini-series, although sometimes they went a little bit into too much hysterics, because then I couldn't understand properly what they were saying. Probably that was the point :)

Anyway, if you've read the book, I highly recommend watching both movies. They are really good.

[Lore]

Ohh yes! I agree wholeheartedly, it was really good. I really liked the fact that their adult lives reflected their traumas as children. The cast was really well chosen too!