It (2017)
"In the summer of 1989, a group of bullied kids band together to destroy a shape-shifting monster, which disguises itself as a clown and preys on the children of Derry, their small Maine town."
When I first saw this film, what stood out to me was the duality of the story. Like one half was the horror film about the town of Derry, while the other half was a coming of age story of a group a friends during their summer break. The film gave enough time for us to know each individual kid and grow emotionally attached to them and their bond with each other.
The casting was absolutely phenomenal for this reason. All the kids were extremely talented and had great chemistry with each other. I absolutely adored Jack Dylan Grazer as Eddie. Finn Wolfhard, who was an up and coming star at the time, was a joy to watch. Jaeden Martell, Sophia Lillis, and Jeremy Ray Taylor as Bill, Beverly, and Ben stood out as well. And of course, Bill Skarsgard as the infamous clown, It, was terrifying and entertaining as Pennywise should be.
This movie was surprisingly scary for me, as I had low expectations in my first viewing. The designs of all the different It entities were all creepy in their own way, including Pennywise himself. The disgusting portrait lady personally creeped me out the most. The amount of violence and gore was effectively used for the level of intensity of the film, which continues to be an asset in the sequel. One of the most intense moments was the projector scene, which some how still makes me hold my breath every time.
Going back to the duality aspect of the story, the film was very well written and well paced. We'd get a few scary scenes in one segment, followed by a wholesome segment with the kids being kids. This is what made It stand out to me the most, and is why it's become one of my favorite movies. A well written story with interesting characters is what I live for, and It had both. The new It movies have become new Halloween traditions for me, and I'm excited to kick off my Halloween movie marathons with Pennywise for years to come.