It | |
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Artwork for the VHS and DVD release
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Genre | Horror, fantasy, drama |
Based on |
It by Stephen King |
Written by |
Lawrence D. Cohen Tommy Lee Wallace |
Directed by | Tommy Lee Wallace |
Starring |
Harry Anderson Dennis Christopher Richard Masur Annette O'Toole Tim Reid John Ritter Richard Thomas Tim Curry |
Narrated by | Tim Reid |
Theme music composer | Richard Bellis |
Country of origin | United States Canada |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of episodes | 2 |
Production | |
Producer(s) | Mark Basino Allen S. Epstein Jim Green |
Cinematography | Richard Leiterman |
Editor(s) | David Blangsted Robert F. Shugrue |
Running time | 192 Minutes (Original Version), 187 minutes (DVD Version) |
Production company(s) |
Lorimar Productions DawnField Entertainment The Konigsberg & Sanitsky Company Greeb & Epstein Productions |
Distributor | Warner Bros. Television |
Release | |
Original network | ABC |
Original release | November 18 – November 20, 1990 |
It is a 1990 supernatural horror miniseries based on Stephen King's novel of the same name. The story revolves around an inter-dimensional predatory life-form, which has the ability to transform itself into its prey's worst fears, allowing it to exploit the phobias of its victims. It mostly takes the form of a sadistic, wisecracking clown called Pennywise the Dancing Clown. The protagonists are The Losers Club, a group of outcast kids who discover Pennywise and vow to destroy him by any means necessary. The series takes place over two different time periods, the first when the Losers first discover Pennywise as children, and the second when they're called back as adults to defeat Pennywise, who has resurfaced.
It aired over two nights on November 18 and 20, 1990 on ABC. The miniseries was filmed in New Westminster, British Columbia in mid-1990. The film's cast includes Dennis Christopher, Annette O'Toole, John Ritter, Harry Anderson, Richard Thomas, Tim Reid, Richard Masur, Michael Cole, and Tim Curry as Pennywise.
Since its initial television broadcast on ABC in November 1990, the miniseries has received positive reception, proving to have a large cult following in recent years. Critics praised Tim Curry's performance as Pennywise and the performances of the child actors. For his work on the miniseries, Richard Bellis received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Miniseries or a Special (Dramatic Underscore).