History YMMV / It1990

* QuestioanbleCasting: It's an odd decision to cast Creator/OliviaHussey as Bill's wife Audra. Not only is she NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent (in the book she's an American like Bill who has lost some of her accent living in the UK but regains it as soon as she returns home) but there's no resemblance between her and Annette O'Toole. It's a minor plot point in the book that Audra resembles Beverly, hinting that Bill married a ReplacementGoldfish. The miniseries keeps the sexual tension between both of them, making it odd that they don't reference this in Audra's casting.

** [[https://youtu.be/vx-BrPxdshU?t=2m6s The scene]] where Pennywise appears in the form of a dog in a clown suit. It is far too silly to be considered scary.

* CompleteMonster: [[EldritchAbomination IT]] is a predatory eldritch entity that vaguely resembles a giant spider and dwells in a cavern under the city of Derry, Maine. Awakening every thirty years, IT has terrorized the populace of Derry since at least the early 1700s. A gleeful sadist that [[EmotionEater savours the taste of fear]], IT uses its shapeshifting and illusory powers to terrify its victims; decorating its lair with their cocooned corpses. [[ChildEater Preferring to eat children]], IT uses the comical guise of [[MonsterClown Pennywise the Dancing Clown]] to lure them in; its psychic influence causing most adults to be apathetic and clouding the memories of those who leave Derry. In 1960, IT ripped off six-year-old Georgie Denbrough's arm, repeatedly tormenting his older brother Bill and the other six members of the Losers' Club with their worst fears when they rallied to stop its child-killing spree. Seemingly vanquished, IT returns in 1990 and leaves a young girl's mangled remains as a message to the Losers' Club that it survived. When they return to end its reign of terror, IT repeatedly taunts them over Stan's suicide, breaks Henry Bowers out of prison to kill them, abducts Bill's wife Audra and [[MindRape leaves her comatose with its Deadlights]], and finally crushes Eddie with its claws.

* WTHCastingAgency: It's an odd decision to cast Creator/OliviaHussey as Bill's wife Audra. Not only is she NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent (in the book she's an American like Bill who has lost some of her accent living in the UK but regains it as soon as she returns home) but there's no resemblance between her and Annette O'Toole. It's a minor plot point in the book that Audra resembles Beverly, hinting that Bill married a ReplacementGoldfish. The miniseries keeps the sexual tension between both of them, making it odd that they don't reference this in Audra's casting.

* CompleteMonster: Curry's Pennywise is as bad as in the book. See YMMV/{{It}}.

* SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome: "This is battery acid, you slime!"

* SignatureScene: The sewer sequence in the opening.

* {{Narm}}: Part II in particular has many examples of bad writing, perhaps most notably one of Bev's lines, where she talks about It as though it were a kid pulling cruel but harmless pranks rather than a murderous demonic entity:
-->'''Bev:''' Why is It so mean?

* AntiClimaxBoss: Although accurate to the book, the infamous [[SpecialEffectFailure stop-motion spider]] is widely considered a very lame climax and totally deflates what little tension might remain at that point. It shows up, they literally ''push it over'' and rip its heart out. [[CurbStompBattle The end.]] BOOOOOORRRRRIIIIIINNNNNGGGGGG!!!!

* FirstInstallmentWins: The first half, with the Losers as kids in 1960, is more widely and fondly remembered than the second half with the grown ups (the widely mocked climax listed below helps).

* MemeticMolester: GUESS.

* NeverLiveItDown: As seen many times Website/ThisVeryWiki, the sequence of It's true form is a frequent target of mockery.

* NeverLiveItDown: As seen many times Wiki/ThisVeryWiki, the sequence of It's true form is a frequent target of mockery.

--->'''Bev''': Why is It so mean?

* Narm: Part II in particular has many examples of bad writing, perhaps most notably one of Bev's lines, where she talks about It as though it were a kid pulling cruel but harmless pranks rather than a murderous demonic entity:

* FoeYay: It's movie only, but the scene where Adult Ben thinks he's kissing Beverly when it turns out to be IT [[CrossesTheLineTwice (specifically, Pennywise)]] in drag, who then shouts "Kiss me, fat boy!"

* HarsherInHindsight: The special stars both Jonathan Brandis and John Ritter, two actors who would have untimely deaths in 2003 (the former from suicide, the latter from an undiagnosed heart condition). Eerily, Brandis was 27 years old when he died.
* HeartwarmingInHindsight: Olivia Hussey lampshaded this in her autobiography, stating that the bike ride scene between Bill and Audra would end up being repeated for her in real life. Years later, while she was recovering from breast cancer, her husband came home one day with a new bike and had her go out for a ride. She describes the experience as being the start of her overcoming the worst parts of depression associated with the disease - much as riding on Silver helps shake Audra out of her catatonia.

* AntiClimaxBoss: Although accurate to the book, the infamous [[SpecialEffectFailure stop-motion spider]] is widely considered a very lame climax and totally deflates what little tension might remain at that point. It shows up, they literally ''push it over'' and rip its heart out. [[CurbStompBattle The end.]]

* FoeYay: It's movie only, but the scene where Adult Ben thinks he's kissing Beverly when it turns out to be It [[CrossesTheLineTwice (specifically, Pennywise)]] in drag, who then shouts "Kiss me, fat boy!"

** During Pennywise's final appearance before the spider form appears, Creator/TimCurry's FakeAmerican accent [[OohMeAccentsSlipping begins to falter a bit]], causing him to accentuate certain phrases in Curry's natural British accent (e.g. how "all" is pronounced). This isn't just Curry's accent slipping; This is It finally dropping the FauxAffablyEvil persona of Pennywise (who never appears again after this scene) and showing his true colours to the group (or at least, the truest colours their minds allow them to see).

** Pennywise is a male persona played by Creator/TimCurry. The monster is revealed, at the end of the book to be [[spoiler:female. Tim Curry is therefore, [[Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow once again]], playing a transvestite]]. What's more is that It is from another planet, just like Frank. What's funnier is in ''Rocky Horror'', Dr. Frank-N-Furter even sings "Don't dream it, be it."

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmjrqJcouIQ WAHA! WAHA! WAHA!]][[labelnote:Explanation]]Pennywise [[LaughingAtYourOwnJokes laughing at his own terrible joke]] about [[ItMakesSenseInContext Prince Albert in a can]] is quite memorable.[[/labelnote]]

* FirstInstallmentWins: The first half, with the teen versions in the 1950s, is widely more remembered than the one with the grown ups (the widely mocked climax listed below helps).

** Eddie mentions that he could never be with anyone he didn't love, and he's never loved anyone but the rest of the Losers. Beyond that, he and Richie have several... rather affectionate moments together. Due to some adaptation changes, such as he is unmarried and still living with his mother, has prompted some fans to wonder if Eddie was actually gay.
** Richie's feelings towards Eddie are also unstated, but he clearly cares deeply about his friend and is single at the time of the Losers' reunion, whereupon he spends most of his time with Eddie, similar to Ben and Beverly. After [[spoiler: Eddie's death, Richie goes into a cold rage towards It he hadn't shown even over Stan's death and Mike's near-death. Despite leaving Derry forever and losing his memories of his friends, his [[ReplacementGoldfish new partner]] in comedies is said to be suspiciously similar to Eddie]].

** Creator/SethGreen is Young Richie. Also check out young Creator/EmilyPerkins and Chelan Simmons. Both would have plenty more horror credits as they grew up.

** Creator/SethGreen is Young Richie. Also check out young Emily Perkins and Chelan Simmons. Both would have plenty more horror credits as they grew up.

** Annette O'Toole would reach a new generation of fans as Martha Kent in ''{{Series/Smallville}}''.

** In the movie, Eddie mentions that he could never be with anyone he didn't love, and he's never loved anyone but the rest of the Losers. Beyond that, he and Richie have several... rather affectionate moments together. Due to some adaptation changes, such as he is unmarried and still living with his mother, has prompted some fans to wonder if Eddie was actually gay.