Really, I thought it was a horror film about Information Technology...

It

     Wrote once, made into a movie twice. The most recent was done over 2 films because the story is huge and there's a lot of ground to cover. I've seen both chapters of those films so why watch the 1990 miniseries? Compulsion mostly, and maybe a need to compare the original to the 2017/2019 films. Also, it was in the $3 bin at Walmart so that carried a lot of weight in the decision making process.  I watched part 1 on Wednesday, and part 2 on Thursday. But for the purpose of this blog, I'm combining both parts into one entry.

     Long story short, it's 1960, and a twisted clown is eating kids. Kid flesh is tastier when the're afraid, so he scares the hell out of them...eh...to age the meat properly? Point is, one of the kids eaten by the clown has a bigger brother, that brother has friends, and they go clown hunting. After nearly killing the clown, they all grow up and move away. 30 years later and it's clown hunting time. And the clown is a spider from another dimension. Look, you've had 1 book written over 30 years ago, 1 miniseries made in 1990, and 2 full length feature films made in 2017 and 2019. You've had plenty of time to watch or read so don't fret about spoilers. But wait--here's one that left out of both film productions - There's a kid orgy after the first clown encounter. Yes, that's right. Kids having an orgy.  Wrap your brain around that.

    So what are the main differences between the '90s and 2017+ films? Mostly production value and acting. In the 90's miniseries, the kid actors were decent, though Johnathan Brandis was a bit annoying. As for the adults, that's were it really showed it's age. Harry Anderson with a molestasch playing an annoying comedian was bothersome, while the others, including Tim Reid, John Ritter, and Richard Thomas (with a terrible pony tail), were decent but maybe mis-cast. Tim Curry, however, owned that clown till Skarsgard came along. As for the 2017+ films, both the kid acting and adult acting were spot on. And the gore?  Clearly the updated movies were tops, as the miniseries was really lacking in gore. Understandably because it was shown on primetime TV and it was 1990. 

     So what version should you watch? There's no question, the 2017+ is the best all-around and a hell of a lot creepier than the miniseries. 

Friday: Lady Wrastlin'!!!!