It (1990)
Directed by Tommy Lee Wallace
Plot: The children of Derry, Maine are in danger when a spectral force, assuming the form of a clown, is awoken from it's long slumber. It has one thing on it's mind-- to eat. The fate of the town is in the hands of the 'Loser's Club', a group of kids who don't fit in with the rest of their peers. Do they have what it takes? Or will Pennywise the clown use their deepest fears against them to turn them into lunch?
Reflection: I chose this one because of all the buzz going on for the IT remake. Thought everyone seems to know the just of it, a lot of people have admitted to me that they never saw the original! This was another movie** that really messed me up as a kid. I can't even really describe why I was so scared-- a big part of it was that the children were mostly alone when faced with Pennywise. Nightmare fuel. My father (who doesn't care much for horror) really got a kick out of this, so we watched together a hundred times. I know it like the back of my hand. Huge props to Tim Curry for essentially carrying this film on his back with the way he plays the clown.
**I say "movie" but it was originally mini series that aired on television. By the time I was watching it, a two-tape VHS version was available.
Further Viewing: Killer Klowns From Outer Space, The Shining, Poltergeist
Nothing like the 2 tape King miniseries, I had the Stand. I actually didn't catch It went it first aired I think I caught it on Lifetime a few years later.
I never watched The Stand. I remember when it aired on TV but I was a little young and the idea didn't really grab me.