Directed By: John Campopiano, Chris Griffiths
Starring: Tim Curry, Tommy Lee Wallace, Seth Green
Plot Summary: A documentary surrounding It (1990), based upon the Stephen King novel of the same name, which featured a notorious villain known mostly as Pennywise.
Few pieces of literature truly transcend the written word and into the zeitgeist. Such masterworks as Mary Shelleyโs Frankenstein and Bram Stokerโs Dracula come to mind. Thanks to its creepy clown, Stephen Kingโs It, published in 1986, can be counted among the aforementioned works of horror fiction. While the book is no doubt great, its status in popular culture is thanks to ABC taking a huge gamble on producing the two-part mini-series It based on the novel. Not only did this pay off by being a ratings juggernaut, but it made more money on home video, not to mention inspiring more made-for-tv projects based on Kingโs work. However, for kids of a certain age, myself included, this tv-movie was a gateway for not only Kingโs work but horror in general. Tim Curryโs twisted take on Pennywise is no doubt a big part of the lasting legacy of It among genre lovers.
If you always wanted an exhaustive documentary on the making of the landmark mini-series, you are in luck as Pennywise: The Story of It takes you through every aspect of the development. At a whopping two-hours, directors John Campopiano and Chris Griffiths really give you a detailed account from writing the teleplay, pre-production, production and its lasting impact on the genre. With one major exception (and Iโll get to that later), every major player is interviewed and gives wonderfully lively candor. The highlight is hearing about all the hijinks on set whether it be from the child actors or the adults acting a bit childish. The various reactions to the spider in both the source novel and in the mini-series is delightful.
While everyone is great, you cannot help be in utter awe of Tim Curry. The actor is a legend, and every time he is on camera you sit up and pay attention. Despite his health not being the best, he is spellbinding as he recounts the making of one of his most iconic roles outside of Rocky Horror. The sum total of recounts adds up to a crystal-clear picture of how this huge book by King was transformed into an enduring tv-movie. Archival material like rare photos, production designs and behind the scenes footage further give one a sense of actually being there. Seeing concept art from what Pennywise could have looked like was really fascinating. Not to mention, finding out that real life killer clown John Wayne Gacy did a painting of Pennywise makes for a haunting piece of trivia.
Strangely, it is Stephen King himself that is missing here, only appearing thanks to archival footage. This is rather odd because itโs not like King doesnโt make appearances from time to time (though rarely) in other projects. Recently, for example, he can be seen in AMCโs History of Horror show, and he even made a meta-cameo in It Chapter Two (2019). This is by no means the fault of the filmmakers as I have no doubt that they did everything they could get to King to give fresh interviews.
Though I overall enjoyed this film, there certainly are aspects of the mini-series which didnโt seem as fleshed out as it could have been. For example, I wish they would have talked more about the book It and how it set itself apart from the other horror fiction that was being produced at the time. These are pretty minor complaints, and I feel they never detract from a well thought out and put together documentary. The 1990 adaptation of It is by no means perfect. The thousand plus page book was forced to be condensed greatly, not to mention having to follow strict guidelines from TV censors. Still, I think looking back, you cannot deny just how scary this mini-series was for kids who viewed it at the time. Now, these kids are horror loving adults who have embraced Curryโs Pennywise as a horror icon alongside Freddy and Jason.
Spooky good fun, Pennywise The Story of It gives fans of the tv-movie everything they would want and more!
Pennywise: The Story of It is currently available to stream on ScreamBox.ย
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czdap4pM0kg]
Spooky good fun, Pennywise The Story of It gives fans of the tv-movie everything they would want and more!
-
GVN Rating 8
-
User Ratings (2 Votes)
9
Big film nerd and TCM Obsessed. Author of The Ultimate Guide to Strange Cinema from Schiffer Publishing. Resume includes: AMC’s The Bite, Scream Magazine etc. Love all kinds of movies and television and have interviewed a wide range of actors, writers, producers and directors. I currently am a regular co-host on the podcast The Humanoids from the Deep Dive and have a second book in the works from Bear Manor.