Stephen King's “It”: 10 Things The Remake Must Get Right
3. Retain The Interesting Narrative Structure
One of the things that really makes It as a book an interesting narrative to explore is the structure of the story. The novel is essentially split into two distinct parts: the past and the present. During the past, which takes place in the sixties, we see the kids terrorised by Pennywise.
Later on, in the nineties, we see these same kids as adults and how the curse of Pennywise has persisted in its own strange way, including the effect that their experiences as children has had on their adult lives.
This structure is crucial to making the remake work, as it gives Pennywise a much more threatening presence in the story. While his appearance is frightening to the kids, it's even more disturbing when he shows up in the latter act, proving that he was much more than just a part of their childish imaginations.