Even on Netflix, there is no shortage of Stephen King adaptations. This year alone, audiences can look forward to Oz Perkins’ adaptation of The Monkey and perennial Stephen King fan Mike Flanagan’s take on The Life of Chuck (which is reportedly very good). Last year, audiences were treated to—or horrified by—the long-awaited remake of Salem’s Lot, and the year before, one of Stephen King’s best stories, The Boogeyman, scared audiences everywhere.
There’s so much to choose from; it’s kind of overwhelming. The best thing, though, is that everyone likely has a favorite. Storm of the Century haunts me because of how often I had to watch that growing up, though The Langoliers remains one of the goofiest movies I’m regularly inclined to revisit. The consensus, however, pretty often puts Andy Muschietti’s adaptation of It at the top of the list, at least when it comes to horror adaptations. Whether you agree or disagree, the record-breaking horror triumph is back streaming on Netflix.
Per Netflix: As kids vanish throughout town, a group of outcasts must face their biggest fears — and a murderous, terrifying and seemingly invincible clown.
Stephen King remarked, “I had hopes, but I was not prepared for how good it really was.” It was a phenomenon in 2017. To this day, Muschietti’s adaptation is, in no particular order, the highest-grossing Stephen King adaptation, the highest-grossing horror movie, and the highest-grossing September release. There are plenty of others, but suffice it to say, there have rarely (if ever) been horror movies that were quite as big an event as It.
It certainly helped that the reviews were strong. In our five-star review of the film, we wrote, “I’m happy to say that all the stars (or, in this case, balloons) have aligned against all odds: It is an instant horror classic and as good an adaptation as I could’ve ever hoped for. It’s the rare Stephen King movie that nails everything we love about the material and gives us a full-tilt freak show roller coaster that’s scary, emotional – and yes, fun.” There is no faint praise there.
Now that It is streaming again on Netflix, it’s the perfect time to check it out and go floating again. You might even find more to love. I certainly did late last year when I revisited the mythic It: Chapter 2 for its anniversary. This is a horror movie with scale, and that alone is worth celebrating. So, crawl into the sewers and check it out again.
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