I was never afraid of clowns, until now

Rating: 8/10 (30 October 2017)

This movie succeeds on more levels than I could imagine. I was a fan of Stephen King, the book version of IT, and the original movie. Stephen King captures the spirit of children, childhood fears and growing up, while Tim Curry's acting did the rest.
As a lover of classics, I wasn't happy with a lot of remakes and reboots. Same with IT. But watching the movie changed this. The opening scene immediately reminded us of the gruesome start of the original movie. This also showed that the remake pays its tribute to the original by respecting both the book and the original movie. The first moment you see the clown, is where you'll see how they deviate from the original movie. The clown is scarier, not because Skarsgard adopted Tim Curry's ways, but by inventing his own. For example by using a psychiatric approach and consulting a body contortionist. But also by not shying away from exposing children to violence. Where the original used practical effects, the remake uses some CGI, but never too much or too obvious. So the movie relies on the acting of the clown, and the acting of the Losers club and they do great.
The success of the original depended on the amazing chemistry of the kids. Something the older actors were less capable off in the original. But the child actors and Skarsgard stand firm. We hate to admit it, but we were scared a few times during the first 30 inutes, thanks to good, unexpected and original horror moments. A lot is suggested (rape, sex, abuse) but never shown completely so it'll create an eerie atmosphere, effective, relying on your imagination, but never crossing a line. Instead they depend on subtle tricks instead of "in your face" horror.
Fun fact: We decided to watch the original a week before the remake. I can honestly say that the original is still a great movie, but it didn't pass the test of time. The remake does, with respect to the original, and it will make you hunger for a sequel. But please, not prequel, we heard the rumors and didn't like them.