Review #957: 'It' (1990)

Throughout the Stephen King adaptation boom of the 1980's and 90's, one aspect that kept writers and directors scratching their heads was how to stay faithful to the sprawling text, while condensing the story into one digestible sitting. While movies such as Carrie (1976) and The Shining (1990) were masterful, they had to stray away from the source in order to avoid becoming a rambling mess. With It, King's hugely successful novel about a shape-shifting entity who preys on young children, the story plays out over two made-for-TV 90 minute episodes. While this format allows the characters and dense plot to breathe, it also highlights a noticeable drop in quality come part two.

The first part takes place mainly in the cursed town of Derry, Maine, in 1960. The younger brother of Bill Denbrough (the late Jonathan Brandis) is approached by a clown named Pennywise (Tim Curry), who lures the little boy into a storm drain with promises of candy and balloons before attacking and killing him. Bill becomes the leader of the Losers Club, a small gang of sorts that consists of outcasts, most of whom have long been the target of a notorious bully. All the kids have problems of their own at school or at home, but they have all been approached by the sinister being who calls himself Pennywise, who terrifies them by feeding on their fears. As they learn the history of the monster who is terrorising their town, the Losers Club decide that it is down to them to end the horror once and for all.

The young cast portraying the Losers Club (along with Brandis, they consist of Brandon Crane, Adam Faraizl, Emily Perkins, Marlon Taylor, Seth Green and Ben Heller) surprisingly outshine their adult counterparts, forging a chemistry with each other strong enough to convince that these are real friends united by shared experience. The opening segment is expertly paced, juxtaposing the events in Derry 30 years ago with the group as adults, all leading their own lives apart from one another, who will find their fates intertwining once again as they learn of children going missing in their home town once again. As they prepare to return home to face an enemy they thought had been destroyed, they think back to their life as children and the bond they once shared.

While the first half brings to mind the heart-warming nostalgia of another King adaptation, Stand by Me (1986), and is genuinely terrifying at times, the second half sinks into strung-out melodrama. The adult cast, consisting of mainly of TV alumni (Richard Thomas, John Ritter, Dennis Christopher, Annette O'Toole, Tim Reid, Harry Anderson and Richard Masur), look like they're sleep-walking through their roles and, as well as sharing little in the way of physical resemblance to the kids playing them, they share little of their natural chemistry also. I haven't read the novel, but I cannot imagine the climax being quite as ridiculous and underwhelming as it is here. More than likely a victim of its TV budget, the three hour-plus running time ends on a whimper. If the quality had been maintained throughout, this could have been one of the most effective King adaptations to date. Instead, it lies somewhere in the middle. However, Curry deserves high praise of his portrayal of what is surely cinema's scariest clown.


Directed by: Tommy Lee Wallace
Starring: Tim Curry, Richard Thomas, John Ritter, Annette O'Toole, Tim Reid, Jonathan Brandis
Country: USA/Canada

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #509: 'Halloween III: Season of the Witch' (1982)

After the mediocre sequel to John Carpenter's 1978 original, which continued the story of Michael Myers, treading over similar ground, like so many of it's imitators at the time, Carpenter and writing/producing partner Debra Hill would only get involved with a second sequel if it could be a separate story to the already tired Myers slasher. Originally, they had the idea to continue with a feature approach to the Twilight Zone formula of anthology narratives, and these would be set around the themes of the holiday season of its title. The original screenplay was written by British writer, and creator of Quatermass (as well as the haunting The Stone Tape (1973) and the BBC adaptation of Nineteen Eighty-Four (1954) amongst others), but Dino De Laurentiis (one of the films producers) felt that the film required more horrific, contemporary gore scenes. Subsequently, after many alterations, Kneale removed his name from the project.

As it is, the film is incredibly flawed, but has some very interesting notions within it. It was a brave choice to use the Halloween name for something completely different; as I have stated before, the commercial horror fan is a fickle species, and the habit of formula is expected. The third Halloween brings a nefarious plot to destroy the people who celebrate the corporate, consumerist aspects of the holiday; "...the strange custom of having your children wear masks and go out begging for candy," is the indictment of a society that has lost spiritual meaning, forgetting the ritualistic foundations of hallows eve, focusing only on consumption and dressing in costumes. In the opening scene, an old man runs in horror grasping a Halloween mask. Being admitted to a hospital, a suited man (nondescript and corporate) enters and kills him, then burns himself alive in the car park. The mystery is set up, and Dr. Challis (Tom Atkins) and Ellie Grimbridge (Stacey Nelkin) - daughter of the old man), trace the movements of the father, leading them to the Silver Shamrock factory, manufacturer of popular masks.

Set in remote, small town Santa Mira, California (a reference to 1956's Invasion of the Body Snatchers), the ludicrous conspiracy to kill all who watch a television signal that triggers a gruesome death for the wearers of the masks, raises many fundamental contradictions and inconsistencies to the film. It throws in elements from others films, particularly with its allusions to ...Body Snatchers, such as the pointless plot about replacing people with robots - Cochran is a master magician, creating mechanical drones. The evil plan is ultimately unbalanced and ridiculous - what is the purpose of killing the general public, and what purpose would there be in replacing them with robots? Tom Atkins basically reprises his role from The Fog (1980), with Nelkin replacing Jaime Leigh Curtis, and O'Herlihy plays the standard bond-like villain, always happy to tell the protagonist the details of the plan, for the purpose of exposition.

Although the film has it many issues, I have fond memories of the film growing up. A brave attempt to move away from the franchise formula, and an interesting attempt to create a mystical story, and a criticism of modern America's obsession with consumerism, and which also manages to stereotype the Irish. The music, from John Carpenter and Alan Howarth, brings the film into the same atmosphere as the previous films, and also signal a relationship to Carpenter's other projects of the time, and adds to the overall menace that is there in the film. With some advanced gore scenes, the film is in context to the time of production, but whilst I do have affection for the film, I would have preferred to see Kneales version, a script that he himself has said was "one of the best I've ever written." And remember, like it goes incessantly in the Silver Shamrock television commercials, I ad lib: "nineteen more days to Halloween..."


Directed by: Tommy Lee Wallace
Starring: Tom Atkins, Stacey Nelkin, Dan O'Herlihy
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Marc Ivamy