Review of It Chapter Two

Horror is not a genre I typically enjoy. I love a good horror film as much as the next person, but I find them to be very few and far between; the overall standard within the genre pretty low thanks to countless lazy efforts looking for cheap thrills and easy scares. The 2017 cinematic remake of the first half of the 1990 TV miniseries on the other hand, was a stylish, confident and tension building creep-fest, director Andy Muschietti crafting a string of striking and eerie set-pieces that found the perfect balance between frights and levity. Part two largely swaps the kids from the first instalment for their adult versions, bringing them back to the disturbing town of Derry 27 years after they thought the defeated the menacing Pennywise the Clown. Although the flair is still there, Muschietti can't create anything as memorable as last time out; the spine-tingling sequences this time more predictable and, thanks to an unnecessary extra 30 minutes of runtime, spread way to thin. Pennywise is a fascinating creature of nightmares - Bill Skarsgård's rubbery face, sad-creepy inflection, faded orange quiff and an almost imperceptible drool a superb combination to ensure his place in the pantheon of iconic horror monsters (right alongside Tim Curry's bubblier and bigger-eyed 1990 version). Muschietti secured an impressive cast too: James McAvoy as the leader of the pack, Jessica Chastain as the emotionally damaged heroine and Bill Hader and James Ransone as a quibbling pair of best buds who are always good for a laugh. Yet there's a spark missing from the adult group compared to their teenager selves; that recognisable chemistry of adolescents with their lives ahead of them a big part of why the first outing was so entertaining, whereas the beaten-down 40-something versions are less fun to hang out with. A sequel that gets bogged down in narrative filler and hokey backstory, It Chapter 2 still delivers just enough visually exciting sequences and nerve-jangling frights to cap off this two-parter nicely.