Editorials
Stephen King’s ‘It’ Really Doesn’t Hold Up That Well
Twenty six years ago today, the first half of the two-part miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s It premiered on ABC. It followed the children of the Losers Club as they were beset upon by Pennywise the Clown, who kills Georgie, the younger brother of leader Bill. The second part aired two nights later, focusing on the adults of the Losers Club and their attempt to vanquish Pennywise, the alias of the titular character. Directed by Tommy Lee Wallace, who co-wrote the film along with Lawrence Cohen, the event was a smash success upon premiere with the first part landing the fifth most watched program in that time slot and the second part was the second highest viewed program.
I hadn’t seen the film in about 15 or so years and I remember thinking very little of it. As I mentioned at the end of my revisit with the 2005 remake of The Amityville Horror, it’s worth coming back to something you don’t like when you have a different mindset and different life experiences. Perhaps what didn’t bring enjoyment at one point of your life will at a different point. Alas, It doesn’t fall under that category.
The first half of the film deals primarily with the Losers Club as children, introducing them one at a time and focusing on their connection to Pennywise. This is definitely the stronger half as the child actors are damn good and there is a lot of exciting events going on throughout the runtime. When Pennywise isn’t scaring everyone half to death, there are the perils of simply being a child: overprotective or abusive parents, bullies, and small town life where racism is alive and well (remember, this part takes place in the mid-50’s), as well as the towns folk seemingly doing their best to ignore the rash of child deaths.
Still, it must be said that the first half also feels terribly disjointed. It’s great getting to know these kids but the way it’s done makes it feel like we’re getting the smallest of snippets and there aren’t really any solid connecting lines. There’s a lot of awkward attempts to tie everything together but the film does itself a disservice by constantly jumping back and forth between the two timelines. Since they knew it was going to be two parts, they could’ve done what New Line Cinema is doing now, which is to have the first film focus 100% on the children while the second film focuses entirely on the adults. We all know how flashbacks can become really annoying and frustrating and that’s precisely the problem with the It miniseries.
The second half is more problematic because the film loses its flow and rhythm, coming to a grinding halt when the Losers club reconvenes as adults per the request of Mike Hanlon, who tells them that “It” has come back. They proceed to bicker and quibble about what they’re going to do. If they’re not doing that, they’re swapping random stories, eating Chinese food, and drinking booze. It just feels like all sense of urgency is lost, even though they each encountered a version of Pennywise who warned them to leave before it was too late. Eddie Murphy must’ve had a field day with that.
Plus, we all know that the climax of the film looks atrocious. I realize that this was before CGI was affordable and exceptional (although Terminator 2: Judgment Day came out less than a year later…) but this was also after John Carpenter’s The Thing, so we know how good practical FX could be. The spider-thing was a damn disgrace and its design is laughable at best.
Furthermore, the way the movie was filmed just feels like it’s made for TV. And yes, I realize that it was but c’mon now! Just look at “Twin Peaks”, which was on air in 1991 and was most likely filmed around the same time as It and you’ll see a stark difference in visual quality. It just felt cheaper, even though it was a big event for ABC. After all, King’s “It” was the best-selling novel of 1986, according to Publisher’s Weekly.
Even Pennywise, who is played expertly by Tim Curry, ends up looking bad at points simply because of how he’s shot. To make him scary, the film resorts all too often on close-ups of his face, especially when he’s got those sharp disgusting fangs. It just feels lazy, especially considering the amazing potential that was there throughout the story.
Watching the film with today’s eyes, it’s hard to understand why there is resistance to the upcoming remake from Andy Muschietti. King’s story has a great deal of opportunity within and getting a multi-million dollar studio production is rather exciting! And yes, I realize that Bill Skarsgard isn’t Tim Curry, so Pennywise will be totally different. Then again, Heath Ledger wasn’t Jack Nicholson. Kane Hodder wasn’t Richard Brooker. There are great remakes and there are shitty ones, just like there are great horror movies to counteract the really bad drivel that gets put out without a second thought.
It was a major event in its day but that time has come and gone. We now have much better technology to make something grander and far scarier than what was previously given. I look at It and see potential for something greater. Because I’m an optimistic kinda fella (I promise you, I really am), I’m allowing myself to be cautiously optimistic about Muschietti’s film. But you better believe I’ll speak my honest opinion about it once it’s released.
Until that day comes, “Beep beep, Richie!”
No conversation about cartoons based on live-action movies is ever complete without mentioning The Real Ghostbusters.
This animated continuation is, warts and all, a notable example of turning a hit movie into a hit series. And although the new target demographic skewed a little younger, even kids-at-heart could partake in the further adventures of Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Winston Zeddemore and Egon Spengler.
For a good part of its run, the show required fans to wait at least a week for more Ghostbustin’. That’s torture for a kiddo. Luckily, though, the entire series, or at least most of it, is now available for streaming.
So, as you revisit The Real Ghostbusters on Tubi—for now it’s just the first five seasons there—use this guide to help prioritize some must-see episodes.
The Boogieman Cometh
“The Boogieman Cometh” (Season 1)
Season One’s “The Boogieman Cometh” is a classic episode featuring one of the show’s more iconic villains. It’s hard to forget the unique character design used for the Boogieman (whose creepy voice was provided by Ray and Slimer’s actor, Frank Welker). In this story, Egon is reunited with that bump-in-the-night entity who haunted his own childhood, all while trying to keep him away from his latest targets: the brother and sister claiming to have the Boogieman in their closet. Although the Ghostbusters do save the day here, the Boogieman eventually returns (“The Bogeyman Is Back“). That same episode also features the love-’em-or-hate-’em Junior Ghostbusters.
Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream
“Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream” (Season 1)
You could say the namesake of “Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream” had good intentions for putting mankind to sleep for the next few centuries—he wanted to end war and keep everyone dreaming. Sounds nice until you remember that whole free will business. But when it seems like the Ghostbusters have lost to their latest foe, the last one standing, Winston, gains a sudden ally. Janine’s dream of becoming a Ghostbuster is manifested, and she helps put this rogue spirit to bed.
When Halloween Was Forever
“When Halloween Was Forever” (Season 1)
Before the show’s execs capitalized on Slimer’s popularity by making him the focus of later episodes, early stories like “When Halloween Was Forever” better utilized that gooey ghost. Here, the spirit of Halloween itself, Samhain, hopes to make the holiday a permanent thing by stopping time. And who does the embodiment of All Hallows’ Eve use in his nefarious plot? Slimer, of course. Thankfully, the lil’ green bud knows where he really belongs, and Samhain is banished (at least until Season 3’s “Halloween II 1/2“).
Night Game
“Night Game” (Season 2)
Because Season Two was rather long, in comparison to other seasons, it accumulated quite a few solid episodes. One of the most beloved, though, is that ultimate good-versus-evil story, “Night Game“. Winston gets to shine here as he participates in a battle that was 500 years in the making. Except this time, the fighting is done on the baseball field. The other-dimensional settings in The Real Ghostbusters are always great, but the one here is particularly memorable.
Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin
“Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin” (Season 2)
Not all ghosts and whatnot were bad in The Real Ghostbusters. As “Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin” showed, some were actually benevolent. Sadly, it took a lot of convincing, and one very heroic act, for Peter and the others to see past this goblin’s grotesque appearance. The heroes find more than one shapeshifter at a sideshow carnival in the Poconos; a sinister Class-4er called the Metamorph does a swell job of menacing the Ghostbusters before they finally realize Drool’s not their culprit. The good guys indeed win here, but that victory is a bittersweet one.
The Collect Call of Cathulhu
“The Collect Call of Cathulhu” (Season 2)
While “The Collect Call of Cathulhu” does misspell “Cthulhu” in the title (probably to avoid legal issues), it is clearly the Old One in this Lovecraft-inspired episode. The story kicks off with the Necronomicon being stolen by the deity’s modern-day cult, who then raise their ancient god at Coney Island. From there, the Ghostbusters’ typical methods don’t work on the big guy, so they seek advice from an old issue of Weird Tales (or “Wierd Tales”, as it’s spelled on screen). That build-up to the finale comes with a decent amount of dread before the Ghostbusters, as well as a scholar named Alice, face off with one of the show’s most powerful entities.
Knock, Knock
“Knock, Knock” (Season 2)
A number of Real Ghostbusters episodes could be reworked into big-screen features, but perhaps “Knock, Knock” is the most hopeful. It helps that this story feels in step with the first two movies. Here, some ignorant construction workers accidentally uncover and open an ancient door in the subway. What’s behind said door is none other than those unspeakable evils that only the Ghostbusters can quell. A good deal of the imagery here is prime for adaptation.
The Grundel
“The Grundel” (Season 3)
One of the darker episodes, which was written by the prominent J. Michael Straczynski, is “The Grundel“. Here, a boy is being influenced by the titular entity, a type of ghost who ultimately turns his targets into new Grundels. The episode does have something of an after-school special quality to it, but that doesn’t take away from the eerier moments. For more Grundel lore, be sure to check out the episode “Grundelesque” from the sequel series, Extreme Ghostbusters.
Standing Room Only
“Standing Room Only” (Season 4)
It’s no secret that The Real Ghostbusters experienced multiple changes after the second season. Out of all of them, though, retooling the show so that Slimer would get more of the spotlight is maybe the most egregious. Thankfully, Season Four (the first to be called Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters) didn’t completely obey that new directive; episodes like “Standing Room Only” felt more like the old days. The focus here was on the well-being of the city and its people, rather than on the series’ green mascot (or the Junior Ghostbusters). In the episode, Peter’s new ghost attractor isn’t to blame for the ensuing chaos; the ghost-eating Mee-Krah is what’s really imperiling everyone. And the Ghostbusters must dish out everything they have to avoid a doomsday situation.
The Halloween Door
“The Halloween Door” (Season 5)
While many fans will skip the later seasons in their rewatches, episodes like “The Halloween Door” are still worth checking out. This colorful helping of Halloween pandemonium premiered on primetime, so the animation is better than usual. And save for a random musical moment, it’s an enjoyable event. Here, a group of anti-Halloweeners tries to cancel the holiday, but they only end up making things worse by unleashing a baddie named Boogaloo.
The first five seasons of The Real Ghostbusters are available on Tubi, starting on July 15.
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