Review: Muschietti's 'It' Effortlessly Blends Horror, Humor, and Heart

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Inspired by Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury, H.P. Lovecraft, and EC Comics’ Tales from the Crypt and The Vault of Horror, Stephen King carved a path for himself as the world’s foremost writer of horror fiction throughout the ’70s and ’80s. By the time his novel It was published in 1986, many of King’s best-selling books had already been adapted into successful films, including Carrie, The Shining, Cujo, The Dead Zone, and Christine. With the ambitious It, however, King’s work shifted shape, much like the novel’s titular evil entity haunting a small town in Maine. Instead of writing about the one thing that scared you, like a rabid dog or a demonic car, this time he was writing about everything that did – the very nature of fear itself. ›››