It

Is there anything scarier than clowns? Of course not. And who knows scary better than Stephen King? You see where we're going. It puts a malevolent clown (given demented life by a powdered, red-nosed Tim Curry) front and center, as King's fat novel gets the TV-movie treatment. Even at three hours plus, the action is condensed, but an engaging Stand by Me vibe prevails for much of the running time.

The seven main characters, as adolescents, conquered a force of pure evil in their Maine hometown. Now, the cackling Pennywise is back, and they must come home to fight him–or, should we say, It–again. Admitting the TV-movie trappings and sometimes hysterical performances, this is a genuinely gripping thriller. As so often with King, the basic idea (the bond formed during a childhood trauma) is clean and powerful, a lifeline anchored in reality that leads us to the supernatural.

Critic Reviews:

• " The result, featuring a strong cast, is far better than any adaptation so far of a King book. " – John J. O'Connor

• " The four-hour package makes an eerie supernatural tale, spiced with substantial good-versus-evil subtext and musings on the power of friendship. " – Rick Kogan

• " For those who revel in the eerie and macabre, It is heartier than a bowl of eyeball stew. " – Tom Jicha