For many who remember Tommy Lee Wallace’s 1990 three hour Mini-series It, adapted from the Stephen King novel of the same name, the most memorable performance was Tim Curry’s as Pennywise, the demonic, shape-shifting clown who terrorizes the young inhabitants of Derry every twenty-seven years

The bulbous- headed, baritone-voiced clown has become an icon of the horror genre and is a daunting precedent for any actor wishing to step into those clown shoes.

In Bill Skarsgard, director Andrès Muschietti has found an actor who delivers an equally terrifying performance in his cinematic adaptation of the story.

Just how frightening audiences will find this new iteration of the character will entirely depend on how many coulrophobes there are among them, but it is nevertheless a towering performance by Skarsgard and one that is matched by young protagonists, led by an impressive Jaeden Lieberher as the stuttering Bill Denbrough.

That Pennywise and each of the film’s six heroes are all given their moment to shine is a testament to the powerful direction of Muschietti who, along with cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung and editor Jason Ballantine, has crafted a moving, bleak and striking world occasionally undercut by Benjamin Wallfisch’s overbearing score.

Muchietti’s film is a strong, well-acted and unsettling horror that ranks among the best of Stephen King adaptations, thanks in no small part to Skargargard’s stunning performance.