It (1990, miniseries) - The miniseries that horrified a generation of children

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A nightmarish monster with a clown's appearance lurks on this striking poster for Tommy Lee Wallace's It

A group of seven friends from the town Derry in Maine need to revisit their birthplace as adults to once again slay the mystical evil that resides in its sewer system... 

 

It is written by Lawrence D. Cohen (Carrie (1976)) and co-writer/director Tommy Lee Wallace (Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)), adapting the same-titled 1986 novel by Stephen King (Roadwork (1981)).

It is a recommendable and entertaining horror miniseries, though mostly due to King's eminent story and ideas. The execution is structured very like a TV series with cliffhangers and annoying fade cuts.

The acting performances are a mixed bag, except for Tim Curry's (Gingerclown (2013)) spectacular turn as Pennywise the clown. The novel has had significant trimmings done to make it serviceable to broadcasting, but Wallace's It is still a haunting and admirable work.

 

Related posts:

 

Tommy Lee Wallace: Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) - Evil masks ravage in Wallace's under-appreciated horror

 

 

Watch a trailer for the miniseries here

 

Cost: 12 mil. $

Box office: None - TV miniseries

= Uncertain

[It was first broadcast 18 November (USA; Brazil) and runs two episodes totaling 192 minutes. The budget was reportedly double the norm for a miniseries at the time. Shooting took place from May - July 1990 in British Columbia, including in Vancouver, New York and in Chicago, Illinois. The show performed excellently at ABC, totaling 30 mil. viewers, becoming the network's biggest hit of the year. It also drew huge viewership of more than 6 mil. when first screened in the UK on BBC One in 1994. It won 1/2 Primetime Emmy nominations. Wallace returned with And the Sea Will Tell (1991, TV movie). Curry returned with a voice performance in TaleSpin (1990, TV-series) and physically and theatrically in Oscar (1991); Richard Thomas (Billions (2017-19)) in Mission of the Shark: The Saga of the U.S.S. Indianapolis (1991, TV movie); and Jonathan Brandis (Aladdin (1994-95)) in Gabriel's Fire (1991, TV-series). It is fresh at 68 % with a 6.0/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

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