It Review: 9 Ups & 1 Down

5. The Scares Are Insanely Intense

Whether or not you're scared of clowns, this is a deeply disturbing sit throughout, with Pennywise's insidiously creepy appearances ratcheting up the intensity to almost unbearable levels on occasion.

And while the film does include jump scares, they're generally some of the best you're likely to see in any recent Hollywood horror film, because they don't feel cheap or overly reliant on loud tension chords.

The scares are both nerve-wracking and fun, a balance that's incredibly difficult to strike, but Muschietti's assured direction makes it look easy for the most part.

Most importantly, the scares feel earned and informed by everything else going on, rather than the sole, cheap motivation for the plot.