“It” was adapted from Stephen King’s novel of the same name, and remains faithful to the source material.

This faithfulness can be seen within the first five minutes of the movie, which are cut and pasted pretty much scene for scene from the book itself.

There are several easter eggs in “It,” which show the respect and deep appreciation the filmmakers have for the work of Stephen King.

The camera work in the movie was fantastic, and cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung clearly understands how to make camera angles fit the mood.

Not only was the camera work well done, but the finished product looked beautiful and clean when it came to the bright outside shots as well as the darker gritty shots filled with gore and gunk.

Aside from the technical aspect, the acting from all of the child actors was phenomenal. The relationship between brothers Bill and Georgie Denbrough (played by Jaeden Lieberher and Jackson Robert Scott respectively) was convincing and drove a lot of the drama forward, though every member of the “Losers club” (a club named by the main protagonists of the film) had enough personality to make it feel like there wasn’t just one main character.

Director Andy Muschietti understands what makes horror work, that atmosphere and properly paced scares ensure that the audience isn’t overloaded with unnecessarily loud music and a disappointing experience.

The costumes and design for the cast were well thought out and fit with both the setting and the characters’ personalities. In one scene, one of the bullies named Patrick Hockstetter (Owen Teague) was chasing after Ben Hanscom (Jeremy Ray Taylor) while wearing a shirt with a wolf on it, to emphasize his predatory nature.

Bill Skarsgard plays the infamous role of Pennywise the dancing clown, a character made famous by Tim Curry in the original 1990 miniseries, and Skarsgard doesn’t disappoint. Even with such big clown shoes to fill, Skargard manages to make the roll his own.

Pennywise’s costume had an antique look to it, looking similar to the European clowns of the 1800s with big ruffles of fabric. This detail helped sell the concept of Pennywise being a very old creature.

A great detail about Pennywise in this film was that whenever the children were becoming more and more fearful he would begin to salivate indicating his intention of eating them.

“It” has a 90 percent critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 92 from fans, while Metacritic has it listed at an average score of 71.

As the movie ends before the credits roll, the screen shows in bold letters “Part 1” meaning that part 2 will be coming out at a future date and should focus around the kids grown up.

If the second part can pull off the charm and aesthetic of this first part, then I am sure this movie will become a new staple in any horror fans collection.