As the spooky season approaches, we all can’t help but rush towards the theatres for the much-anticipated Stephen King novel IT that hit the big screen.

IT has everything — action, romance, comedy, and, most importantly, horror. Unlike many other popular movies under the horror genre, IT is more than jump-scares and creepy music. It ranges anywhere from hilarious one-liners to heartfelt moments with every character.

Whenever the plot gets too heavy, the character Richie is there to crack a joke. No matter how scary a scene may be, he is the first to make light of the situation.

The movie always has you on your toes. Whether it’s waiting for another joke or another jump scare, you never know what is around the corner.

IT is also full of romance. One character, Ben Hanscom, is a boy who has a hopeless crush on Beverly Marsh, who is clueless about his affections. He writes poems for her, and the audience can’t help but hope he manages to win her over.

His constant fight for her favor is rivaled by Bill Denbrough, who is the first member of the group who is personally affected by the infamous clown Pennywise.The production did an incredible job of spending time on the backstory of every character involved.

The plot is primarily based off of said characters and all of their fears. Pennywise is the epitome of horrifying, and his impact on each character iss based on their innermost struggles.

From Richie’s ironic phobia of clowns, to Beverly’s aversion to her father, the most antagonistic fear was Bill’s. The story takes place in the summer of 1989, approximately one year after Bill’s little brother, Georgie, goes missing.

Every time Pennywise is around Bill, he takes the form of Georgie. Every scene with the two of them in it was heartbreaking, because Bill couldn’t accept his brother’s disappearance.

Throughout the movie, every person in the theater was rooting for him to find Georgie. By the end of the movie, there was not a single audience member who didn’t want the clown to get a taste of it’s own medicine.  

Most importantly, IT is a story about overcoming fear. Pennywise took the form of each person’s fear and quite literally fed on it. The whole theme is excellently woven into the plot. The message is clearly shown throughout the movie,  and when the final scene ends, the audience is left to ponder how they could overcome their own struggles.

Overall, IT is a memorable movie that will make us check under our bed twice every night. IT is enough to entertain even veteran horror movie fanatics, and it is the perfect movie to set off the spooky season of 2017.