ODEON Magazine August 2017 | Page 11

IT See it from 8 September The clown seized his arm. And George saw the clown’s face change. What he saw then was terrible enough to make his worst imaginings of the thing in the cellar look like sweet dreams; what he saw destroyed his sanity in one clawing stroke... Scary, huh? And if the book wasn’t enough, four years later – in 1990 – a two-part TV miniseries was produced with Tim Curry in the role of the fiendish fool. The result? One of the most frightening screen baddies ever! Now, nearly 30 years later, it’s happening again. That’s right, just when you thought it was safe to bed down for the night, New Line Cinema “I can’t even describe how scary he looked in person” Andres Muschietti (Director) is releasing a two-part remake, the first chapter of which slithers menacingly into cinemas on 8 September. If you’re concerned that this is an unnecessary remake that couldn’t possibly chill like the relentlessly creepy original, we get it. That’s what we thought too, until we saw the brilliant, skin-crawling trailer. “If you’ll come with me, you’ll float too...” This, ladies and gentlemen, is the real deal. Penny Dreadful For those of you who haven’t read the novel/seen the miniseries, IT is set in Derry, Maine, a seemingly normal American backwater. But Derry is anything but normal, because every three decades an ancient evil awakes and begins feasting on the town’s kids. And now it’s happening again... Asked how Bill Skarsgård’s Pennywise compares with Tim Curry’s version, director Andrés Muschietti had this to say: “The first day [Bill] got onto the stage, the kids freaked out. I can’t even describe how scary he looked in person.” Arghhhhh! KING OF THE CHILL Three more King creations brought terrifyingly to life on screen! Gage (Pet Sematary) Gage is a sweet kid, until he gets run over and resurrected. Now he’s evil incarnate! Cujo (Cujo) Man’s best friend? Not quite! This mangy mutt goes from ‘here, doggie’ to ‘OMG, we’re all going to die!’ Annie Wilkes (Misery) With fans like these, who needs enemies? She’ll sing your praises then break your ankles! odeon.co.uk 11 PARAMOUNT n his seminal 1986 horror novel IT, legendary author Stephen King (he of Misery, Carrie and The Stand fame), with just a few strokes of his pen, took an innocent childhood staple – the clown – and turned it into something to be feared and loathed. Of course it could be argued that John Wayne Gacy hadn’t exactly done the jolly jester any favours – the notorious 1970s serial killer was a part-time children’s party clown – but it was King who delivered the deadly blow to these bumbling buffoons. His IT villain Pennywise took terror to a new level. Don’t believe us? Here’s an extract from page 15 of the book...