History YMMV / It1990

* 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).

** When Eddie admits that he's a virgin, Richie says "Well I can't help you there, pal." In ''Film/ItChapterTwo'', Richie is gay and in love with Eddie.

** 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 that he is unmarried and still living with his mother, has prompted some fans to wonder if Eddie was actually gay.

** 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, this prompted some fans to wonder if Eddie was actually gay. In the book he definitely isn't, as he's married, but the miniseries changes this so that he's still living with his mother.

-->'''Tim Curry:''' [[NightmareRetardant It wasn't very scary. Or convincing.]]

* JustHereForGodzilla: While having a modestly positive reputation overall, fans and critics alike agree the main reason to watch is Creator/TimCurry's performance.

** Richie is scared of werewolves. He's also played by Creator/SethGreen, who would go on to get the role of the werewolf Oz in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''.

** Speaking of sewers, The moment of Pennywise in the said sewer is also popular to the Japanese fanart community.

* HamAndCheese: While Creator/TimCurry's performance as Pennywise, in the movie, is viewed as pretty scary by many, he also gives it a healthy dose of this, and it is ever so glorious.

* 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.

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

** The giant spider at the end of the movie. The true metaphysical nature of IT is only vaguely referenced. It looks very cheap and results in quite an AntiClimax. Partially justified in that the cosmic elements of the novel would be tough to replicate on the screen. The stop motion effects are pretty cheap too.

* HarsherInHindsight
** Jonathan Brandis and Creator/JohnRitter died a few months apart from each other in 2003 (Brandis from suicide, Ritter from an undiagnosed heart condition).
** [[spoiler:"Tell Stan unless he's on his way to Derry, he's a dead man!"]]

** For that matter, Creator/TimCurry playing a MonsterClown. He [[WhatCouldHaveBeen almost]] ended up playing ComicBook/TheJoker in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', but difficulty doing The Joker's voice lead them to casting Creator/MarkHamill instead.
** In the scene where they find Stan's talking disembodied head in the freezer, the head [[Film/TheRoom nonchalantly asks "How's your sex life?"]]

** One of Richie's gimmicks is [[ManOfAThousandVoices doing a lot of voice impressions]]. Here he'd be played by a young Creator/SethGreen, who would go on to demonstrate an impressive vocal range in his adulthood.
** The movie was released in 1990, the same year Creator/BillSkarsgard, who plays Pennywise in [[Film/It2017 the 2017 remake]], was born. And the character It comes out to feast on the town every 27 years, making it all too fitting.
** Creator/JohnRitter plays a man who, in his childhood, was a newcomer to a TownWithADarkSecret, and spent his first summer there matching wits with a LaughablyEvil [[RealityWarper Reality Warping]] EldritchAbomination. Twenty-two years later, [[LikeFatherLikeSon Jason Ritter]] [[WesternAnimation/GravityFalls would do the same thing]]. Minus a few details, [[Film/FreddyVsJason it wouldn't have been his first time either]].
** Pennywise shouts the specific phrase "YOU'LL FLOAT TOO!" all of once (when he finally moves to kill Georgie), but it's kind of amusing due to the fact that exact phrase is not only used more frequently in [[Film/It2017 the remake]], but has since undergone MemeticMutation because of it.
** Chelan Simmons plays Laurie Anne, Pennywise's first on-screen victim. A few years later she'd star in ''{{Film/Carrie 2002}}'' as another victim in a Stephen King story a long with a whole scream queen career.
** Tim Curry got scared by a Clown a couple of years later in ''Film/HomeAlone2LostInNewYork''.

** The special stars Jonathan Brandis and John Ritter, both of whom would die a few months apart from each other in 2003 (Brandis from suicide, Ritter from an undiagnosed heart condition).

** The movie was released in 1990, the same year Bill Skarsgard, who plays Pennywise in [[Film/It2017 the 2017 remake]], was born. And the character It comes out to feast on the town every 27 years, making it all too fitting.

** Tim Curry got scared by a Clown a couple of years later in ''Home Alone 2''.

* {{Narm}}: [[Narm/It1990 It has its own page!]]

** William B. Davis has a small role as the high school principal, just a few years before becoming embroiled in all sorts of supernatural goings-on in Series/TheXFiles

* WTHCastingAgency: It's an odd decision to cast Olivia Hussey 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.
* WTHCostumingDepartment: Fans have often laughed at the irony that Bill goes bald as an adult in the book, and in the miniseries not only has a full head of hair, but the most 90s grunge ponytail ever.

* NightmareRetardant: [[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.

* TearJerker: Georgie's death, of course. Immediately followed by Bill looking at an old photo album and finding an old picture of Georgie. Of course, the moment turns to NightmareFuel when the photo of Georgie ''winks'' at Bill, revealing the photo was an illusion made by Pennywise.
** Stan's suicide, too scared of Pennywise to even live anymore..

** Stan's sucide, too scared of Pennywise to even live anymore..

** Stan's sucide, while the others reluntantely agree to all return to Derry and face ''IT'' again. Stan is to scared and instead kills himself..

** Stan's sucide, to scared of Pennywise..

* TearJerker: Georgie's death, of course. Immediately followed by Bill looking at an old photo album and finding an old picture of Georgie. Of course, the moment turns to NightmareFuel when the photo of Georgie ''winks'' at Bill, revealing the photo was an illusion made by Pennywise.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Creator/JamesRolfe argues that rather than being a genuine threat to the Losers, It actually serves more as an escapist fantasy that distracts them from the RealLife problems they face like Henry's gang and neatly wraps all their fears about growing up into a scary, but vulnerable opponent.

* HarsherInHindsight: [[spoiler:"Tell Stan unless he's on his way to Derry, he's a dead man!"]]

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Creator/JamesRolfe argues that rather than being a genuine threat to the Losers, It actually serves more as an escapist fantasy that distracts them from the real problems they face like Henry's gang and neatly wraps all their fears about growing up into a scary, but vulnerable opponent.

* MemeticMutation

** Applying the logic of the novel to the film applies this to It's Pennywise incarnation, which is far more comical and goofy than It's other forms, playing the part of a capering. {{troll}}ing jester to the point of {{Narm}} and SugarWiki/FunnyMoments for the audience. In the book, It is subjected to the weakness of whatever form It takes due to the children's beliefs in monsters' weaknesses. If a similar rule applies to the It of the 1990 miniseries, then It's clownish behavior in It's Pennywise form could well be because the children's beliefs of how clowns are ''supposed'' to be are influencing It to be LaughablyEvil as Pennywise.