<i>It</i>: A Solid but Conventional Shocker

Every 27 years it rises again to stalk the countryside and bring terror to children. I refer, of course, to Pennywise, the diabolical kid-eating clown first made famous in Stephen King’s 1986 horror novel, It. But I also refer to It itself, which was last seen as a two-part miniseries in 1990 and has now returned as a feature film by the Argentine director Andy Muschietti, best known for his 2013 movie Mama.

I recently revisited the old miniseries and found it to be a Spielberg-y throwback to the vibes of 1980s cinema—a bit like last year’s Netflix thriller . The difference, of course, is that, which returns for a second season next month, is consciously (and brilliantly) aping all those old ’80s tropes. The miniseries, by contrast, couldn’t help but embody them: It did, after all, feature both John Ritter and Harry Anderson in central roles.