It, a chilling horror story based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name, has taken over the nation. The film came out on Sep. 8 and has quickly become the highest-grossing horror film of all time, breaking the 44-year record set by The Exorcist. 

The main cast consists of a group of children who band together when strange things begin to happen in their town.  Jaeden Lieberher plays Bill Denbrough, a quiet boy who senses that something is wrong after his brother disappears.  You may recognize Finn Wolfhard— who plays Bill’s friend Richie — from the hit Netflix original Stranger Things.  Bill Skarsgård plays Pennywise, a terrifying, larger-than-life clown who lurks in the gutters and preys on young children.  Pennywise terrorizes the children’s hometown of Derry and forces the children to face their inner demons. After Georgie, Bill’s brother, is kidnapped, the kids go on a mission to discover the truth about the supernatural being and Georgie’s disappearance.

“I thought it was scary, but still surprisingly fun to watch, since the comedic dynamic of the lead kids balanced out the terrifying evil clown imagery,” said former Schreiber student Gemma Fasciano.

Stephen King is a renowned American horror and science fiction novel writer.  King has written 54 novels and almost 200 short stories, selling more than 300 million copies of his works in total.  Many of his stories have been turned into films, movies, and shows.  Some his most famous works include The Dark Tower series, The Stand, The Shining, and, of course, It.

It, was a sensational masterpiece that won the British Fantasy Award in 1987.  The novel also received nominations for Locus and World Fantasy awards shortly afterwards.  Although it is hard for movies to live up to the novels they are based off of, It (2017) seems to have done it.

“I thought it was well made,” said senior Isabella Henderson.  “I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, with the exception of the times I got jump-scared.  I read the book a few years ago an also enjoyed that.”

The movie’s success is unsurprising. With its distinct 80s vibe and terrifying animation effects, it’s difficult not to be impressed by the film. Reviewers are calling It one of the best horror movies of the year, and the film has certainly done the book justice.