Overview
When IT floated onto the big screen in 2017, inspiring plenty of coulrophobia in the process, it only told half of the story. Adapting Stephen King's bestseller into a film, the horror hit jumped back to 1988–89, visited the author's usual setting of Derry, Maine, and followed a group of teenagers who came face to face with their worst clown-filled nightmares. But, as fans of the book or the 1990 TV series know, that's literally just the beginning.
Cue IT: Chapter Two, another excuse to unleash the white-faced, flame-haired Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård) upon the world, rustle up more than a few creepy scares and make a mint at the box office, all by charting the novel's other timeline. Set 27 years later — because that's how often the sadistic, shapeshifting demon pops up — it revisits the kids known as the Losers Club. They're all grown up, with Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy and Bill Hader leading the cast, but they're not done with red balloon-wielding evil just yet. Or, to be more accurate, Pennywise isn't done with them.
If you're already afraid of clowns, IT: Chapter Two clearly won't be for you. If you'd like to discover just what it takes to make you tremble at the sight of circus performers, this sequel will definitely help. So will its just-released first trailer, which introduces the adult gang, reminds everyone not to chase toy sailboats into storm drains and — of course — lets its sinister villain do his worst again.
Original director Andy Muschietti (Mama) is back at the helm, so expect a hefty dose of unnervingly effective and all-round unsettling horror imagery once more. And, while this eagerly anticipated follow-up has plenty of star power, the first flick's Sophia Lillis, Jaeden Martell, Finn Wolfhard and company all return as the younger versions of the Losers Club as well.
Take a peek at the first trailer below:
IT: Chapter Two releases in Australian cinemas on September 5, 2019.