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missfishersmurder t1_j6iehwp wrote

I agree in general about Stephen King, but not for It.

I loved reading about Derry and the way it breathed menace over the centuries...for me, it enhanced how unfathomably powerful Pennywise was, how deeply entrenched the evil was in the town, and how little chance the Losers Gang had. It also made the later scenes where the adults in the town turn their back on the kids almost...unsurprising, or even something that I was already resigned to by the time it happened. And the amount of history that Derry has imbues its occasional appearance in random books with a lot of tension and anxiety.

TL;DR: I liked reading about Derry and its inhabitants, so it didn't feel like too much, but if you weren't into that, I can understand why it would feel bloated.

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Red_Ed t1_j6iiok9 wrote

Yeah, the build up of Derry and it's inhabitants was amazingly done.

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Randym1982 t1_j6k9zi0 wrote

I felt that It had a bit more highs than lows, but the lows were kind of "wtf?" and a bit stupid. The highs?

>!The whole backstory on Derry. THe Lumbermill massacre. The gangsters getting shot to death while Pennywise dances in the background. Pennywise basically turning into 60's and 70's type monsters while tormenting the kids. !<

That stuff was the best parts of the book to me. Some of the other stuff was a bit of a slog to get through.

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missfishersmurder t1_j6kcmcz wrote

Agreed! I guess I view It as a history of Derry, which can only exist in Pennywise’s shadow. So the Losers Gang and the final battle against Pennywise is less about the humans and more about the destruction of Derry.

Though, you know… >! Pennywise Lives! !<

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Randym1982 t1_j6kczc6 wrote

Both movies and TV Mini kind did away with the destruction of Derry. I will say the Tim Curry ending felt closer to the ending of the book. >!Beating Pennywise to death, rather than insulting him till he shrinks and then ripping out his heart. !<

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missfishersmurder t1_j6kgx8k wrote

That is a pity! The book has so much in it that I understand how hard it is to pack everything in and do it justice on screen.

I've never actually seen the Tim Curry version all the way through...I saw part of it and something about the shower with the drain stretching around him as he clambers out really haunted me. (Am I remembering that correctly? I have no clue, it's been decades.) I was living alone over winter break in a college dorm--there were probably other people in the building but I never saw them--and stopped showering until people started coming back onto campus, and had to time my showers to be when other people were in the bathroom lol.

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Randym1982 t1_j6kn6wm wrote

Kind of. I think Pennywise pops up out of the drain and starts taunting the kid. The TV Mini had some good parts and some "lol. Seriously?" parts too.

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missfishersmurder t1_j6knk51 wrote

Hah, I'm a little tougher these days when it comes to horror movies, so maybe I'll give it another shot! I love the weirdness and occasional silliness of horror movies, especially older ones. And tbh Seth Green, even when just starting out, is always a fun watch.

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