From the opening sequence of the 2017 Stephen King adaptation It, it was clear director Andy Muschietti and his writers, Chase Palmer, Gary Dauberman and Cary Fukunaga, wanted to make a bold statement. What they ultimately delivered is one of the most memorable horror openings of the 2010s, and perhaps the 21st century. While it helps that they efficiently laid an emotional groundwork between lead character Bill (Jaeden Martell) and his younger brother Georgie (Jackson Robert Scott), it largely came down to their uncompromising approach in depicting Georgie’s violent, unsettling death at the hands of Pennywise the Clown (Bill Skarsgård).
Children are often thought to be ‘off-limits’ when it comes to deaths in horror movies, and while this is generally very understandable, it can also lead to a hollow tension that was highlighted by legendary film critic Gene Siskel in his 1986 review of James Cameron’s Aliens on his show At the Movies, which he hosted alongside fellow critic Roger Ebert. In his televised review, Siskel decried, “I think one of the cheapest shots you can do in a movie is show a child in peril,” because he knows “the kid is not gonna get nailed, so it held no suspense for me.”
While I generally disagree with his mixed analysis of Aliens, Siskel did have a point, and in the 21st century we have certainly seen this issue of suspense – as it relates to threats against children in horror cinema – increasingly tackled with caution, taste, and a respect for narrative, some examples being Trick ‘r Treat (2007), Attack the Block (2011), and Doctor Sleep (2019).
The latest and likely final full length trailer for the upcoming It television spinoff, titled It: Welcome to Derry, promises that once again no one is safe, because it is a red band trailer that further emphasises the peril in which the children – and indeed the adults – of Derry find themselves, showcasing the trail of gruesome murder scenes Pennywise leaves behind, and a whole lot of blood spatter to go with them.
Yet, even with the violent imagery of the trailer aside, there is still some exciting moments and easter eggs not seen in previous trailers to hype audiences as its October 26th release approaches. Most notably, we are shown the abandoned house where the well to Pennywise’s lair is found, which the military are surrounding and then infiltrating, perhaps in search of the numerous missing children in Derry. We then see two soldiers, one of whom fearfully gasps in the sewers as an ominous hand emerges from the shadows, pointing at them, before lunging out and revealing a ghastly imitation of Uncle Sam.
This is particularly important as it further hints at the show’s social commentary, especially given that it takes place in 1962 when the Vietnam War is in full swing, not to mention Pennywise usually assumes the form of a person’s worst fear, which in this case seems to be getting drafted by the U.S. military. This will tie in with the strong racial commentary Welcome to Derry, which has already been seen in previous trailers, plus we also know that the narrative largely centres on a black family who move into the predominantly white titular town. This thematic aspect might also explain the men wearing Halloween masks and wielding shotguns, all of whom are white, though it is only speculation at this point as to whether their seemingly nefarious motives are racially driven.
Whatever the case, we won’t have to wait long to find out, with the first episode airing this Sunday, October 26th, at 9pm ET on Crave.