When I first saw the trailer for this horror film on Twitter I knew in my head that even though my number one fear in life is to be killed by a crazy clown. So, naturally, I had to see it. I walked into the theatre on a Wednesday night with my roommate, knowing that I wouldn’t be going to sleep later on. I also knew that every time I closed my eyes I would see Pennywise (the scary ass clown) pulling that adorable little boy into the sewer. To my surprise, the movie didn’t scare me that much and I actually ended up liking it.

Don’t get me wrong, Pennywise is still scary and his/her/its creepy smile still sneaks into my dreams at night. However, I liked the meaning behind the movie and I must say they did an excellent job casting. I don’t know where they managed to find seven hilarious thirteen-year-old, but they did it. I honestly laughed more than I flinched or hid behind my roommates shoulder. Two days before seeing this movie someone told me, “you know, It isn’t actually a scary movie, it’s more about friendship and it’s actually a light-hearted film.” Needless to say, I thought the girl who told me this was insane. Light-hearted and killer clown don’t normally go together in the same sentence. But, she wasn’t all that wrong. The kids in the movie were hilarious and their loyalty to each other at the age of thirteen was very admirable. I’m just saying that at age thirteen, I wouldn’t even talk to strangers so I don’t see younger me, who weighed a whopping eighty pounds, climbing through sewers and going head to head with a clown. Sure, maybe twenty-year-old, bolder and much larger me would do it but there was no one I would do that for anyone at age thirteen.

Not only were the kids' sense of humor and inappropriate jokes my favorite part of the movie, but I liked the meaning behind it as well. They end up defeating the clown by showing it that they aren’t scared and that they aren’t going to let their fear hold them back. In the movie, the main character, Bill, keeps saying, “it’s not real, it’s not real,” and while IT was very much real, fears aren’t and you shouldn’t let them control you. Fears are only as powerful as you make them. I have a fear of being attacked by a thirteen-foot great white, but I still get in the water at the beach and I still go boating and snorkeling. Even though it is a fear of mine, I know that it’s not real. I haven’t been attacked by a shark and honestly it’s pretty unlikely so I don’t let it control my life. Fears will never vanish and people will always have them, but you decide how powerful you make your fears and how they affect your life.

While I wouldn’t go as far as calling the movie "It" light-hearted; I would say that it was a great film with an awesome cast and an excellent meaning behind it. Having said that, it’s still scary so bring someone who doesn’t mind you screaming and squeezing their hand for two hours.