Why is ‘It’ the single most definitive Stephen King movie?

For most Stephen King fans, asking them to name his definitive movie adaptation would be like asking them to name their favourite child. After all, King is a prolific author, and this means there’s never been any shortage of material to adapt. There are more than 60 movies based on King’s novels and short stories, and that’s before you even think about delving into the many television adaptations of his work.

So, putting a finger on one definitive movie is a tall order – but several candidates immediately emerge. For example, any list of the best King movies would be remiss if it didn’t include the following: Carrie, Stand By Me, The Shining, The Shawshank Redemption, and Misery. All five of these films are modern classics in their own right, and several of them show different shades of King than just the “King of Horror” label he tends to be most closely associated with. I’d argue none of them can be considered his “definitive” film, though – and here’s why.

To me, saying something is the “definitive” example of a creator’s work isn’t necessarily the same as saying it’s their best work. The Shawshank Redemption is widely regarded as one of the greatest movies of all time, and it has a special place in the hearts of countless cinephiles. However, is this fundamentally good-natured paeon to male friendship masquerading as a prison drama really what anyone imagines when they think of a King story? I’d argue “no.” Instead, Shawshank and Stand By Me are the best examples of King being a more rounded author than some critics may give him credit for. They show that he doesn’t always scare his audience into submission – he can tug at their heartstrings to great effect as well.

What about the other three, though? They’re all horror movies, right? Well, yes, but I still don’t think they’re definitive. Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is immediately disqualified because, while it’s an undisputed classic of horror cinema, it’s nothing like King’s book, and the author has always hated it. Misery is incredible, but it’s perhaps too meta and horror-adjacent to qualify as a definitive King movie. It’s really a thriller more than it is a classic King horror story, but it does get points for the protagonist being a troubled writer, which is a recurring King theme.

In my book, Carrie is the closest of these five movies to being the definitive King film. It was the first screen adaptation of King’s work and includes almost all of the recurring themes and stylistic choices that would define his stories. However, I believe there is one other movie adaptation, which is the King-iest King movie that has ever been King-ed – although some may accurately point out that it’s actually two movies.

In 2017 and 2019, It Chapter One and It Chapter Two were released and made over a billion at the worldwide box office combined. Andy Muschietti’s films took King’s gargantuan 1,138-page novel and split it into two, just as the 1990 television miniseries split it into two feature-length episodes. The world loved the first movie in particular, and even though the second part was disappointing, it didn’t totally ruin the excitement and terror of seeing the Loser’s Club battle the malevolent Pennywise the Dancing Clown on the big screen.

In truth, neither chapter of It is as good a piece of cinema as The Shawshank Redemption, as moving as Stand By Me, or as bowel-looseningly terrifying as Misery, Carrie, or The Shining. What they are, though, is the perfect distillation of everything that makes King great in a double movie package.

In many ways, It is like playing ‘King Bingo’. A small American town with a dark secret? Check. A group of outsiders banding together to become strong enough to battle a great evil? Check. Abusive parents and school bullies, who border on the murderous? Double check. The banality of evil in everyday life? Yep, that’s there too. On top of that, the razor-toothed child-killing demon clown Pennywise is undoubtedly King’s most iconic villain.

All in all, if someone asked me to show them a film that best outlines King’s style and thematic concerns, I’d show them both instalments of It—and that’s what makes it definitive.

Related Topics

This post was originally published on here