IT CHAPTER TWO

The Losers Club have been waiting twenty-seven years but it's only been two years for us to find out what It has in store for them on his return to Derry. It Chapter Two is the concluding chapter to this particular adaption of Stephen King's novel, following It in 2017, and it certainly maintains the epic scale of the first film, which is a rarity in the horror genre.

Twenty-seven years after defeating Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård), the Losers Club reunite in their hometown of Derry to relive the nightmare of their childhoods and put an end to it once and for all.

It took a while for It Chapter Two to get going for me however, when it does, it is a vastly entertaining horror romp that may not be the scariest film ever made but, just like the first film, can be downright unsettling at times. It's the reuniting of the Losers Club that drags out the opening of the film however, it's a necessary evil that leads to quite a wild reunion scene inside a Chinese restaurant, certainly unsettling rather than scary.

Once they're all together the film moves along at a pace that makes the 169 minute runtime absolutely fly by, jump scares and creepiness galore as the Losers try to work out how to defeat the evil that has been lurking over Derry for many years. There were some really effective scenes but I found the overuse of jump scares a little irritating, especially as they were so predictable, while the quiet build-up and eeriness of other scenes were much more appealing to me.

Coming to the performances, It Chapter Two features a grown up Losers Club while also using the fantastic younger actors from the first film in flashback sequences. The coming-of-age aspect from the first film and the actors performing in it make it a better film for me but the adult cast assembled for Chapter Two do a fine job in closing out the epic story. James McAvoy and Jessica Chastain are two actors you know can deliver knock-out performances but it's Bill Hader here that really surprised me, his turn as Richie Tozier being the most interesting of the Losers and showcasing some great acting along the way. Of course, you can't get through these adaptations of It without mentioning Bill Skarsgård's brilliant performance as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, not as prominent here as he was in the first film but just as effective when on camera.

It Chapter Two is a film I can see growing on me with repeat viewings, a little like the first did, as there's so much to take in from it. I'm a big fan of the disturbing nature the film offers rather than the jump scares, and the cast really make this quite the film. The scale of it all across two films gives it that event cinema feel, which is something I'd like to see more in the horror genre.

Verdict: ★★★★