It's been a while since a horror movie sequel has generated as much buzz and anticipation as It Chapter Two.
Following on from 2017 box office success It - the first cinematic adaptation of the classic Stephen King novel - Chapter Two picks up with the Losers club 27 years after Pennywise the Dancing Clown wreaked havoc on their town.
The first film saw Pennywise visit each of the kids and terrify them with incarnations of their greatest fears.
In the ensuing years, the group has somehow forgotten about their time in Derry and the horror that befell them there - a product of their terrible town.
But when the one remaining Derry Loser, Mike (played as an adult by Isaiah Mustafa), calls each friend in turn, they make good on their vow to return to the Maine suburb and face off against the once-again-active Pennywise (Bill Skarsgard, just as creepy as the last time).
The casting for Chapter Two is beyond exemplary.
The filmmakers have amazingly managed to find the perfect adult actors for each of the Losers.
Jaeden Martell's leader Bill grows up to be James McAvoy (who has come a long way with his mastery of the American tongue), Sophia Lillis's Beverly becomes Jessica Chastain, Finn Wolfhard's Richie is Bill Hader, Jack Dylan Grazer's Eddie is James Ransone, Jeremy Ray Taylor's Ben is former Home and Away star Jay Ryan and Wyatt Olef's Stanley is Andy Bean (they look so similar some magic must've been used to secure this casting).
The grown-up actors do a fantastic job of recapturing the spirit of the characters the youngsters created, and their easy chemistry is evident as soon as they get together at the Chinese restaurant.
There are plenty of decent scares in Chapter Two - a couple of especially creepy scenes come fairly early - but overall it's probably a little less terrifying than its predecessor. It's also significantly longer, clocking in at almost three hours.
Chapter Two suffers from losing the childhood innocence the first film had. It's easier to go along with the scares when your protagonists are children. As adults, the gross-out monsters just seem a little bit sillier.
Fans of the horror genre will be tickled pink with a special cameo.
