Clutching his signature red balloons and with a particularly nasty appetite for the youth of Derry, Maine, Pennywise the clown has floated his way back into theaters. A continuation of the film readaptation of Stephen King’s notoriously blood-curdling novel, “It,” “It: Chapter Two” has sky-high expectations surrounding the aftermath of its September 6th release. Centering around the stories of the main characters as they reach adulthood and begin to recall the elusive hold the town of Derry has over them, a smooth transition from the first movie will easily guide moviegoers back into the sewers so deeply feared by the characters. With the impeccably casted young actors now joined on screen by their adult counterparts, diehard fans of King will finally be able to experience the conclusion of the chilling tale in a powerhouse production supported by dynamic CGI and an extremely talented crew. Starring a multitude of well-known Hollywood favorites such as Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy, director Andy Muschietti has perhaps found himself at the center at what may someday be considered one of the most iconic horror films of all time.

With the massive renewal of attention now being given to the story originally penned by the legendary Stephen King in 1986, “It: Chapter Two” manages to balance satisfaction rates of both longtime fans of the author and those new to his terrifying tales. Which may have been a point of concern for those producing the sequel for such an important work to those appreciative of horror culture. Despite this, it appears as though both parties have equally positive impressions of the production. From a handful of interviews from individuals with varying levels of experience with King’s work, the widespread appreciation of the new movie has become quite evident. Born the year the novel itself was released, lifelong horror fan and audience member of a recent showing of the film Amanda Lawyer embraced the fresh creative take on a childhood favorite of hers, singing its praises while noting her decade-spanning affection for the author and his writing ability. While lingering outside of the theater, she expanded upon her thoughts about the subject.

“I began reading Stephen King novels some time in the second grade,” Lawyer said. “His stories feature non-traditional protagonists, underdogs, and triumphs of the bullied [which] really resonated with me. I genuinely enjoyed the second chapter of the ‘It’ [film franchise], and while there’s no way to capture every element of the book, I think the director did a fantastic job of bringing the essence of the story to life.”

Additionally, a few CHS students were also asked about their thoughts and opinions surrounding King and the new film. A young Stephen King enthusiast, freshman Pierce Barnum, gave an enthusiastic response when interviewed about his thoughts on both the author and the highly-anticipated movie.

“[Stephen King’s] a genius [and] a master at what he does,” Barnum said. “You can sink into his books even if you’re not much of a reader. You feel like you’re in [the story from] how much detail there is.”

Senior Andrew Elias also reacted positively to the film despite having little to no interest in King or his creations prior to the remake and continuation of the 1990 film. “I’ve heard a lot about Stephen King, but I never really took the time to read his books or watch the movies based on them,” Elias said. “But now that I’ve seen these newer [movies], I’ll definitely have to pick up some of his stories when I have time. If it’s possible to make a sequel as good, if not better than, the first movie, then the books must be great to start with.”

Overall, it is rather apparent that a variety of audiences can easily appreciate the mass amount of effort put into “It: Chapter Two.” Their prior knowledge is a minor factor when compared to the fully immersive, blood-curdling nature of the film. Filled to the brim with emotion, values of friendship, and a deep, creeping primal fear lurking within the labyrinthian sewers of the production, this particular horror sequel is sure to cause moviegoers to once again envelope themselves into the seemingly quaint town of Derry, Maine, where cases of coulrophobia are likely commonplace. With even Stephen King himself expressing satisfaction with it, audiences are surely in for a delightfully traumatizing experience as they recall the fact that we all float down here.