Send in the Clowns: It (1990), It (2017) & It: Chapter Two (2019)

Adrian and Dion are back, and in this episode they decide to visit Derry, Maine again and again and again. They return to three adaptations of Stephen King’s novel It (1986): The It (1990) telefilm, and the feature films It (2017) and It: Chapter Two (2019). Nostalgia and clownsploitation are part of the field trip, but what else will they discover along the way? They were promised floating, but aren’t going to hold their breath.

Chapters:

0:00:12 - Welcome to Cult Film School

0:02:34 - Stephen King’s It (1986): The Novel, Unread But Not Unknown

0:05:52 - It (1990): IMDb Plot Summary 

0:07:31 - It (1990): A Brief (Production) History

0:10:33 - Pennywise: The Story of It (2021): Tim Curry & Pennywise Makeup Choices

0:12:04 - The Greatness of Tim Curry as Pennywise the Clown

0:14:53 - Casting as the True Strength of It (1990)

0:17:43 - It (1990): Night 1 vs. Night 2

0:19:34 - It (1990): Is Night 2 Unfairly Criticized?

0:21:54 - Criticisms of It (1990)

0:25:36 - It (1990): Tagline

0:26:47 - It (2017): IMDb Plot Summary

0:27:54 - It (2017): A Brief (Production) History (aka Cary Fukunaga’s It meets Andy Muschietti)

0:31:02 - Why It (2017) Resonated with Audiences

0:31:51 - It (2017): “I don’t think this movie works.”

0:33:52 - Bill Skarsgård’s Pennywise the Clown

0:35:35 - Why the 1980’s Setting for It (2017) Doesn’t Work

0:36:55 - Andy Muschietti’s Vision for Pennywise and It (2017): Set Pieces and Jump Scares

0:40:07 - In Defence of Bill Skarsgård

0:41:20 - It (2017) as Jump Scare Theatre

0:43:43 - It (2017): “This film feels like it has no heart.”

0:44:52 - It (2017): Purpose of Character Changes from Novel?

0:52:06 - It (2017): Henry Bowers, a “Walking Jump Scare”

0:54:20 - It (2017): Lack of Group Camaraderie in “Loser’s Club”

0:57:17 - It (2017): Tagline

0:58:00 - Between It (2017) and It: Chapter Two (2019)…

0:59:30 - It: Chapter Two (2019): IMDb Plot Summary

1:00:31 - It: Chapter Two (2019): “Stuff happens, but nothing matters.”

1:05:17 - It: Chapter Two (2019): Retcon or Legacy Sequel?

1:07:20 - It: Chapter Two (2019): “Remember the clubhouse?”

1:10:59 - It: Chapter Two (2019): Henry Bowers, an Antagonist Without Purpose or Consequence

1:13:10 - It: Chapter Two (2019): Bill Hader as the Standout, but should Richie be the Leader of the “Loser’s Club”?

1:18:03 - It: Chapter Two (2019): “Angel of the Morning” (1981)

1:20:52 - It: Chapter Two (2019): An Ending, Bloated and Underdeveloped

1:26:06 - It: Chapter Two (2019): Tagline

1:27:12 - It in the World of Streaming: It: Welcome to Derry (HBO, 2025)

1:30:07 - Next Episode Preview

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