Characters that Ring True...

Rating: 10/10 (17 September 2017)

The strength of most of what Stephen King writes- even when he's "re-imagining" classics like Dracula (SALEM'S LOT) or THE MONKEY'S PAW (PET SEMATARY) or OLD YELLER (CUJO) or the old EC Horror comics, etc.- is his CHARACTERS: they almost always Ring True. IT is no exception, and this latest reincarnation boasts excellent performances all around. (One of the more horrifying aspects of the Pennywise personification- that's only very subtly touched on in the movie- is the influence of Real World killer clown, John Wayne Gacy.) (Here in Crack Town, we had an old man nicknamed "Snake" and his wife who were both pedophiles. They were caught a number of times, but never went to trial "to spare the children." When the couple left the neighborhood, the kids they'd assaulted began to sexually assault even younger kids, culminating in the kidnapping of two five-year-olds by a young teen. Once again, the local "authorities" refused to prosecute. And you thought "Derry" was a scary place...) I'm looking forward to the next "chapter" in the on-going saga of IT, but this one will be hard to beat.