Trailer Talk: IT

The original IT is one movie that's part nostalgic horror movie, and a little like Full Metal Jacket. Nostalgic because the film is a TV movie that was available for kids to see at a young age, it didn't bear an R-rating like a lot of Stephen King fare, and like Full Metal Jacket because the film's first half is considered the best. Still Tim Curry's iconic performance as the evil clown Pennywise still haunts dreams which means audiences are eager for the newest incarnation. So today we're breaking down the new film's first trailer.

The movie follows a group of young friends in Derry, Maine in 1989, a small town that is currently plague by a rash of missing persons cases. Eager to determine the cause and keep themselves free from harm, the kids decide to investigate for themselves, but as it turns out IT may be looking for them...

While it's always hard to tell with horror movies, I like what I see so far. It looks like the film will be focused solely on the kids, and not their adult counterparts like the original's second act, and there's plenty of nods to the original including some familiar set pieces and of course Pennywise. The reveal via the slideshow looks delightfully creepy.

That said, there's still plenty of big questions. The film's rating is still up in the air, but considering the number of children involved my guess is they'll try to aim for PG-13, and I'm curious about how original or reworked the scare setups will be. This is a movie that will need to craft its own identity to stand out, aside from a darker color palette and muted lighting, and too much adherence to the original will kill it for anyone who's already seen it.

Short version: An interesting first look, eager to see more.