IT Chapters One and Two

Abstract

Drawing on critical analysis of film, the horror genre, the Gothic, and Stephen King scholarship, this book provides a close reading and analysis of Andy Muschietti’s IT Chapter One (2017) and IT Chapter Two (2019). Key points of consideration include the significance of the fictional town of Derry as a traditional Gothic ‘Bad Place,’ the role of 1980s nostalgia in these two films, the complex navigation of memory and trauma, gender representation, queer representation, and the return of the repressed. The terrifying figure of Pennywise is central to this analysis, including consideration of performance, costuming, and significance within the larger landscape of the ‘scary clown’ popular culture trope, including Tim Curry’s iconic performance in Tommy Lee Wallace’s 1990 miniseries adaptation of IT. This book contextualizes Muschietti’s films within the larger landscape of King’s literary and popular culture influence, as well as the debate surrounding ‘elevated horror’ and the ‘horror boom’ of the late 2010s. This book is part of the Devil’s Advocates book series, which focuses on critical analysis and close reading of horror films.