Courtesy of GameSpot
Two years ago, audiences were left shaken by the sheer terror of Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the 2017 adaptation of Stephen King’s “IT.” However, that was only the beginning of Pennywise’s reign of horror, as he returned to theaters once again for the sequel, “IT Chapter Two.”
For the entirety of the nearly three-hour movie, the audience is left on the edge of their seats, as multiple scares creep up when they least expect it. Pennywise is more terrifying than before, as actor Bill Skarsgård allowed the evil clown’s persona to completely take control of him for the role, making the cast terrified of him both on and off the set. Skarsgård’s clown is used sparingly throughout the film; however, we see him using other forms, making each encounter much more frightening.
From this point on, spoilers and scares will ensue, so read at your own risk. We left off with the Losers Club defeating Pennywise and taking a blood oath to return to Derry, Maine, if he ever returned. We then go forward 27 years and see that Mike (Isaiah Mustafa) was the only one to stay in that town and is also the only one to remember his childhood encounters with Pennywise. The rest moved far from Derry to live successful careers: Bill (James McAvoy) is a successful writer, Richie (Bill Hader) a stand-up comedian, Stan (Andy Bean) an accountant, Eddie (James Ransone) a risk evaluator and Ben (Jay Ryan) a real estate agent. They all receive calls from Mike urging them to return. None of them have any idea why, but all sense fear taking them over.
Bev (Jessica Chastain) is the only one who that moved away and still can remember the fears that haunted her childhood, as she has nightmares showing the group’s deaths. Once they all meet back in Derry, they discover that Stan killed himself and Bev tells them about her nightmares. No one knows why they feel on edge being back in Derry until Bev mutters the word that sends pure shivers down their spines: “Pennywise.”
What follows is a series of relentless, horror-filled events that leave the audience shaking as Pennywise haunts the adult members of The Losers Club one by one. They know that they must defeat Pennywise this time, or else they will all be dead by the time he returns in 27 years. After Pennywise snatches the life of another kid in front of Bill, he chases the clown, ending up at the haunted house Pennywise calls home. The gang soon catches up and travels back through the sewers to Pennywise’s final resting place. After an intense battle, the audience is tricked into believing that Pennywise had been defeated, until Eddie is suddenly killed at the hands of Skarsgård. The remaining characters finally end up cornering the clown, making him so weak that they grab Pennywise’s heart from his chest and squeeze the life out of it. As a result, Pennywise dissolves into the air and the places he called home come crashing down. The remaining members of the Losers Club rejoice at the end of Pennywise and leave Derry to go back to their lives.
Skarsgård’s Pennywise is sure to go down as one of the most terrifying villains in cinematic history. With terrific casting, the two-part film series brings justice to King’s original novel. Only time will tell if Skarsgård will ever return to the big screen as Pennywise, but one thing is for certain: Pennywise was able to not only bring fear to those in Derry, but to those in audiences across America.
