The structure of horror films of today need some louder voices to scream a new story! We get it Pennywise, it's called separation anxiety! But step it up, because while his name carries clout in 2019 it doesn't stack as well as his previous appearance in 2017's "It."

Take a look at the Hall of Fame, or fears, of horror and those who are immortalized in film culture. Ghostface, Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Jason and my personal childhood nightmare Chucky are all notorious in their own right.

Comparatively, where I find differences between "IT" and the classics are in the people unlucky enough to be facing these evils. "IT" has kids go against a people-eating clown that is on a hunting spree at the start of their summer, what a monster! Although the movie features plenty of scenes that bend the capacities of reality, something did feel so real about the movie: the kids, their friendship, and their fear.

The kids in "IT" are rowdy, quiet, romantic, inventive, and paranoid (Reasonably so, with a killer clown on a diet of "kid cuisine" on their tails.) But these motivations drive home their character's relatability. For audiences thinking of past times, children transitioning into teenage years, we knew what developing crushes felt like. The same goes for hilariously poking fun at a friend, being the subject of embarrassing moments, riding across the neighborhood, laughing uncontrollably, and best represented during IT, sharing moments when we've felt outright terrified.

Likewise, the film's mood was fitting to the people inhabiting the scenes. If it were Pennywise I was on the edge of my seat sweating because of the intensity he draws in. The kids were so fluid in their scenes I could relax and enjoy what unfolded, but most often was surprised by a clever pun one of the kids would throw at another. As a whole, the movie took itself as serious it needed to when the moments were right, and then would release tension with bickering friends. I loved this.

What I could say about the original I wish I felt about its sequel. On one hand, the casting in "IT Chapter 2" was a cinematic success. On the other hand, the scenes involving the whole crew, The Losers' Club together gave viewers a taste of their dynamic back, or if they feel the way I felt, they left wanting it back.

The focus of "IT Chapter 2" is a lot of the same, the kids are now adults and came back to their hometown to fulfill a childhood promise of wiping Pennywise from the face of the planet. A lot of what made the first movie so great were the kids' reactions to every situation they were in. It was entertaining to watch friends start panicking while a presentation of tracking a killer clown goes haywire, of course with consistent cuts to Eddie's religious inhaler breaks because when a clown starts climbing through a projector, kids flip out. When we were younger and someone shared a scary story a little too well, we went still and carried that shock with us for a few days. We remember that feeling of being so heavily affected by fear as kids.

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Truthfully, the same can't be said about the adult characters. When we watch them get frightened and then enter a comedic exchange, something about it feels off. Asking for realism in a horror movie based on a book about a killing ancient alien is a lot, but I want believable reactions from relatable characters in the movies I watch. Filmmakers have managed this balancing act beautifully with Jordan Peele's "Get Out" and most recent release "Us," and even others succeeded in horror without the need for comedic breaks which I believe would have improved this film's realism.

Case in point, the targets of slasher films are most often adolescents when paired with comedy because it's something that works on-screen. Using adults, in the same way, would take an extra effort to be as big of a hit.

Audiences loved when 2017's "IT" introduced a new cast. All of whom are fairly under the age of others. Although the first film was a phenomenal hit at the box office, according to BoxOfficeMojo "IT" holds top rankings for an opening weekend in September and opening weekend in fall since 1982, the sequel fell short in putting up the same stats with more theaters opening for the premiere.

"IT Chapter 2" is recognized as runner up for both of these titles in the box office and top rank in September of this year, but the comparison invites audiences to question why it didn't beat out the original (2017.) I say the answer is in its characters.