by NICOLE LOPEZ//Sports Editor

Summer has taken a horrible turn for seven kids who find out not all clowns are friendly.

Stephen King’s readaption of “It,” based on his 1986 novel, has been the most talked about movie in 2017.

The film tells the story of seven children who are being terrorized by a shape shifter who is often portrayed as a terrifying clown named Pennywise, commonly known as “It” (Bill Skarsgard).

In the fall of 1988, Bill (Jaeden Lieberher) gives his little brother Georgie (Jackson Scott) a paper sailboat. Georgie sails the boat down the rainy streets of small town Derry. The sailboat falls down a storm drain, and that’s when Georgie meets Pennywise. Pennywise tries to convince Georgie to come into the sewers with him, but he refuses. As Georgie tries to get his sailboat from the clown, Pennywise rips Georgie’s arm off and drags him into the sewer. The gruesome scene sets the tone for the movie.

The following summer, Bill and his friends, Richie (Finn Wolfhard), Eddie (Jack Grazer), and Stanley (Wyatt Oleff) try to run away from the town bully, Henry Bowers (Nicholas Hamilton), and his gang. Bill is still determined to find out what happened to his little brother. So, he convinces his friends to go look for him in the sewer grounds called the Barrens.

Ben (Jeremy Taylor) is the new kid. He encounters Beverly (Sophia Lillis), and she warns him that Henry is looking for him. He escapes to the school library and learns about the unexplained tragedies in the town. While in the library, he is terrorized by It and flees from the library.

Henry and his gang eventually find Ben and cut his stomach with a blade. Ben escapes and runs into Bill and his friends in the Barrens. They help Ben by getting him to safety and treating his wounds. While walking home, Beverly sees the gang and asks them what happened.

Later, Bill and his friends befriend a homeschool student named Mike (Chosen Jacobs) after they save him from Henry and his gang of bullies. They refer to themselves as “The Losers Club” and discuss the terrifying events that are occurring in their lives. Each member of the club has encountered gruesome events, such as seeing a headless boy, fountains of blood, and people burning alive in buildings, just to name a few.

The Losers Club comes to the conclusion that they’re being terrorized by the same being. Ben explains to the group that he discovered the mysteries of the missing children and strange events that occur every 27 years. They all assume that It feeds on the children every 27 years and hibernates in the sewers.

After an encounter with It, some of the kids split from the gang because they’re afraid they’re going to get killed and fear for their lives. Later, Beverly gets kidnapped by It, and it’s up to The Losers Club to save her.

“It” was released on Sept. 8 and has gotten praise for the acting, as well as the frightening scenes.

The scenes of “It” were very gruesome, but it worked. The scenes were weirdly satisfying for me to watch! A kid being chased by a rotten figure or a painting coming to life was suspenseful and intrigued me to not take my eyes off the screen. The opening scene where It rips Georgie’s arm off was jaw-dropping for me.

The kid dialogue in the movie was fantastic. I love the banter between Grazer and Wolfhard’s character. Wolfhard was amazing at being the loudmouth and jokester of the group. He by far was my favorite of the group. Skarsgard portrayed a great evil being. His portraying of Pennywise was freaky and sinister, but also inviting. He had a balance between disturbing and a childish demeanor.

Many fans of the movie have a problem with the ending. The ending of the movie isn’t like the first adaption, and there is a reason for that. This movie is following King’s novel. This movie is based on the first chapter, and it intrigued me so much that I now want to read the novel. I’m not a diehard horror fan, but I will make an exception for King.

Overall, “It” was a suspenseful and successful readaption of a classic.

I give the movie 8/10.

8/10