It Review: 9 Ups & 1 Down

6. Andy Muschietti's Fantastic Direction

After fans were robbed of the brilliant Cary Fukunaga directing It, it was understandable that some were concerned to see Mama director Andy Muschietti taking his place.

However, Muschietti has ultimately proved the haters thoroughly wrong with extremely impressive work across-the-board here, ensuring that the movie is both a rich character-driven drama and a bracingly intense rollercoaster ride all at once.

Showing himself to be in total control of a project that could so easily have become a film-by-committee, Muschietti makes terrific use of Chung-hoon Chung's gorgeous cinematography to wring every ounce of gorgeous terror from King's novel.