Stephen King’s IT [1986]

If its horror you crave then Stephen King’s IT packs it from cover to cover. In the 1986 publication, seven childhood friends are brought back together after almost three decades to battle an ominous entity that feeds on children and takes the form of their innermost fears.

Although the entity’s true form is revealed at the end, it’s most common form is that of a clown known as Pennywise. However, to each of the friends it manifests as something different, a large bird, a leper, the mummy and even dead people.

While the novel is in its core a horror story, it is also a coming of age story that deals with abuse, guilt, sex, love and basically everything we experience growing up. It is graphic, thrilling and at times disturbing and shocking especially when details of the friends’ childhood encounter with It.

The sexual activity portrayed in the book in the final part, The Ritual of Chüd, is rather scandalously pedophilic and at times perverted especially when an eleven year old Beverly Marsh starts to undress in the dark and prepares to make love to her friends.

‘I have an idea’, Beverly said quietly.

In the dark Bill heard a sound he could not immediately place. A whispery little sound, but not scary. Then there was a more easily placed sound…a zipper. What -? he thought, and then he realized what. She was undressing. For some reason, Beverly was undressing.' 

It, page 1056

Although the language is not explicit, it is disturbing to find the idea of children at such an age engaging in sexual activity acceptable in mainstream literature. If King meant this to shock his audience then it definitely worked. However, there are moments that bring the reader back to a time when a friend would stand by you, no matter what the circumstances.

It chills and thrills the reader from the get go which make the lengthy 1116 novel seem minuscule. The story is divided into five (5) parts and the chapters alternate between the present (1985) and past (1958) slowly revealing how the friends met and how they faced it.

A film adaptation with the same name was released in 1990 and starred a diabolic Tim Curry as Pennywise. A remake has been announced with Cary Fukunaga named as the director.

Anyway, if you love to be scared then this King novel does not disappoint.

Update (04 April, 2017)

The remake of IT has been scheduled for release on September 8, and it has been divided into two parts. The first part deals with the childhood experiences of the friends i.e., the 1958 part.

The video below is a trailer of the remake.