IT and the Horrors of Childhood

Or why I identify with Eddie Kaspbrak so much

Since it’s spooky season I’ve been revisiting some of my horror favorites and realizing, boy, do I have a specific type of horror I gravitate to. Unlike the outsized slasher films — though Child’s Play will always own my heart — some of the films that have stuck with me the deepest are small-town stories with characters that feel like they own a little sliver of who I am. It’s probably why some of my favorite spooky season stuff is crafted by Stephen King (shameless reminder I’m moderating a Q&A on Pet Sematary with Mary Lambert that you should buy tickets to). Which brings me to a recent rewatch of the 2017 movie IT.

IT retains just as much power seven (!) years later as it did upon initial release. The story of a group of preteen friends trying to battle a giant clown didn’t adapt King’s voluminous tome faithfully — and thank goodness because shit gets weird — but it makes it up to book lovers with a dark, incisive story about growing up in a landscape of perpetual fear and anxiety. Which is probably why me, a millennial, absolutely adores it.