Random: Is the movie "IT" really scary?

Welcome to Random, a brand new section that will take a look at a variety of topics to analyze. Unlike Theoretical Inquiry, this section may be shorter (depending on the topic) and will be more of an open exploration. In many ways, it could be considered a quicker, easier to write version of Theoretical Inquiry with no structural restrictions.



Stephen King's IT, was a two part miniseries/movie based on the classic 1990 novel of the same name. In recent years, the film is regarded by many fans as something scary or creepy, but loved all the same in comparison to horror flicks of today, but is it really? I would have to say yes and no. When it comes down to it, the movie has it's fair share of creepy moments, however nothing about it is realistically what anyone can truly classify as scary. At best, it gives off vibes of being disturbing much more than anything else. Much to my surprise, I have heard people were terrified by the movie, even today rather than simply enjoy it for the sake of nostalgic value. The central reason for this is none other than; Coulrophobia.  Coulrophobia is fear of clowns. Some have speculated the fear most likely developed during the 80's when clowns had become more prominent in a wide assortment of mediums; One of which was horror. Some might ask how the hell does an adult develop this kind of fear? Well, to put it simply; their childhood. As I stated above clowns were in some horror movies during the 80's prior to, It, and the majority of kids who have seen it when they were young had become terrified by their appearance, actions, and overall attitude. For the most part, depending on a kids age as well as their level of maturity, something as simple as a clown can appear menacing given proper setting or actions with a semi-horrific atmosphere. Much of this can be said for why many find it to be scary despite it only being mildly creepy or downright annoying or just plain crazy.

Some of the very same reasons people like clowns are also why people are scared of them. Generally they are depicted as dopey, fun-loving individuals with either a corny sense of humor or a great sense of humor (some times....) , and yet they also present a visual image of an odd, unfathomable, disfigured, diseased looking human/creature hybrid. The confusion as to what it is, causes the kid to be uneasy. Making matters worst, everything about a clown is unpredictable. So, in a sense, clowns creepy look can be enough to scare a child, but if you remove the fear of clowns out of the equation, IT, is only mildly creepy with dark elements built within it. Other than that, the other things added such as balloons for eerie mystique, fail to present a menacing visual. Although it works well with the character, it doesn't do anything except ruin the eerie mystique.

In conclusion, the movie might be scary only to a certain age demographic who had been previously exposed to clowns and developed a fear of them, without these hanging in the balance, we can see that "IT" isn't the least bit scary. Creepy, a bit dark, bizarre as hell, annoying as fuck (in the second half... wanted to shoot his ass in that one scene... you know the one), but not scary.