On Sept. 8, the newest remake of Stephen King’s bestselling novel, IT, hit theaters across the world. Since the movie’s release, viewers of all ages have rushed to immerse themselves in the thrilling film. “IT” has made more than 478 million dollars since it’s release over three weeks ago, making it the top grossing horror film in US history. “The Exorcist” trails behind at 232.9 million.

“IT” takes place in the fictional town of Derry, Maine, and it isn’t long into the film until the audience is let in on the town’s greatest mystery- a killer clown. With children disappearing at a rapid rate and the main characters experiencing their worst fears at new heights, the audience is kept on their toes for the entirety of the film.

Communications sophomore Tommy McCabe has been awaiting the release of the movie for quite some time. He has read many of King’s novels including the infamous, IT.  

“I heard about it online and I am very involved in film so I know all the movies that are coming out. I watched all the trailers and right when the trailer came out I was immediately pumped,” McCabe said.   

From the moment the film began, the theatre was filled with racing hearts and screams that could be heard echoing throughout the entire room. While others were fearful of the clown-like creature, McCabe certainly wasn’t.

“I got all my fear out in the book; the movie didn’t really scare me that much,” McCabe said. “In fact, I found some of the film very comedic.”

The movie was advertised to be much scarier than the final product came out to be. The humor within the film had more to do with surprising jump scares and gory visuals rather than the plot itself. With familiar faces like Finn Wolfhard from “Stranger Things” the depth of the  characters really stole the show and connected with the audience.. Snarky comments from characters like Richie, played by Wolfhard, were some of the best moments of the film.

Other than being emotionally underwhelming, “IT” has seemed to impress the Dreyfoos community. Buzz about the new flick can be heard almost anywhere on campus. With the depth of the characters and elaborate set, it’s no wonder that the movie is such a success. The filmmakers even went as far as building an entire fake sewer system to intensify the authenticity of the plot. It was details like this that separated “IT” from other films out today and even the original movie “IT” released in 1990. The new one defied the stereotypical horror movie by developing characters beyond the surface level that we usually see in other movies.