Director: John Campopiano, Chris Griffiths
Writer: John Campopiano, Gary Smart
Starring: Tommy Lee Wallace, Tim Curry
Year: 2022
Duration: 126 mins
Country: US
BBFC Certification: 15
The scene that terrified me the most came around 10 minutes in. Little Georgie is happily sailing his paper boat down the empty, rain lashed streets, when the tiny creation, lovingly made by his brother Bill, is sucked down a storm drain. As Georgie crouches down to try and rescue it, a friendly looking clown suddenly emerges from beneath the grate. As he speaks to Georgie, the clown’s demeanour begins to change…he offers Georgie a balloon and talks about things floating with an almost sexual excitement. The Clown, who has introduced himself as Pennywise, manages to lure Georgie closer and closer before viciously grabbing his arm. His eyes burn a hateful orange as the camera slowly pushes in on his mouth, now full of brown, dagger like teeth as Georgie’s terrified, agonised screams reach a heart tugging crescendo before they slowly fade into silence…
I am certainly not the only one for whom IT, the 1991 TV miniseries adapted from Stephen King’s gargantuan 1985 novel, made a lasting impression. Tommy Lee Wallace’s two part adaption was loyal to the source (as much as a three hour adaptation could be, of course) skilfully directed, well written and, most importantly, chock full of brilliant performances, dominated by a towering, terrifying turn by Tim Curry as Pennywise the Dancing Clown (which, outside of the Overlook Hotel, must stand as Stephen King’s greatest creation).
After an incredibly successful TV broadcast and, thanks to a release on VHS in the mid nineties, IT achieved something that TV movies rarely ever did – it became a genuine cult classic, spawning legions of fans and ensuring that Tim Curry’s Pennywise could stand proudly shoulder to shoulder against other horror icons such as Freddy, Jason or Pinhead. And, even after a phenomenally successful Hollywood reboot a few years ago, there is still something about the original miniseries and Tim Curry’s insidious performance that ensures that it hasn’t quite yet been displaced in the hearts and minds of horror fans worldwide.
Little wonder then that a campaign to make a documentary about the making of IT, started on crowd funding platform Indiegogo, quickly attracted thousands of backers. Pennywise: The story of IT is the result. Jointly directed by John Campopiano and Chris Griffiths, this meaty 2 hour documentary attempts to pull back the curtain on a cult classic, exploring everything from scripting to Bart Mixon’s iconic make up – and pretty much everything else in-between.
Separated into 9 distinct chapters that explore different elements of the miniseries, each section of the film offers some fascinating trivia and details. I was surprised to learn, for example, that at one point George A. Romero was interested in directing but ultimately stepped away because he wanted to tell the story over eight episodes (Romero seemingly pitched this idea to TV execs about twenty years too early!). It was also fascinating to learn how the miniseries’ eventual director, Tommy Lee Wallace, helped to shape its wonderful performances by creating a ‘losers camp’ where the actors playing both the adult and child versions of King’s characters spent time together into order to help establish visual and emotional links between their 1950s and contemporary counterparts.
The documentary is also refreshingly candid about the trials and tribulations behind the scenes that led to some weaknesses in the finished episodes. Trusted King screenwriter Lawrence D. Cohen (the man behind the script for Brian De Palma’s Carrie) only had time to write the first episode of the miniseries. Tommy Lee Wallace had to grudgingly write the concluding episode, which he fully admits pales in comparison to the first. And yes, in case you were wondering, everyone gets to have their say on the (spoiler alert!!) giant spider (my personal take is that they they did the best the could with what they had!).
Perhaps the documentary’s biggest coup is how just how many members of the original cast and crew contribute. It feels like almost everyone involved has been interviewed (even rather minor characters like Frank L. Turner, who played Beverly’s horrific father, get to share their memories) and it is fantastic to see Tim Curry reminisce about one of his most infamous and lasting performances. Apart from the actors who have sadly left us (Bill Ritter, Jonathan Brandis, Harry Anderson) the only key player the filmmakers seemingly weren’t able to snag was Annette O’Toole, who played the adult version of Beverly Marsh.
Pennywise: The story of IT doesn’t attempt to break apart the documentary format. It offers a safe, conventional style of documentary fan service much like those made by Laurent Bouzereau, the pioneer of behind the scenes docs that made their way onto so many DVDs in the early 2000s. And, apart from a brief segue into discussing Coulrophobia (fear of clowns), it is doubtful that those unfamiliar with IT will be fully engaged with it.
Yet why would they even be watching this anyway? For fans of the legendary TV miniseries, Pennywise: The story of IT offers an exhaustive, fascinating breakdown of every facet it its production. With contributions from almost all of the key players, this is an essential watch for anyone whose dreams were ever haunted by a menacingly chortling Tim Curry, red balloons and the threat of a secret world where everything floats…
Film:
Pennywise: The Story of IT will be released on Digital Download on the 3rd of October, with a Blu Ray and DVD to follow on the 24th October. For this review, I was only provided with an online copy of the film, so I can’t comment on the Blu Ray quality or extras.