It

The 1990 TV mini-series based on Stephen King's novel It scarred a generation and made the killer clown a genre staple. Director Andy Muschietti's artful take on the horror tale really is one of the most gripping and glowing of King dramatisations. This time the focus rests firmly on the first encounter seven outcast tweens have with an ancient child-killing, shape-shifting entity in their Maine home town. It's cleverly placed in the same time period that the book was written, and the 1980s look gives it real scope, while the affectionate King references provide a fun nostalgic texture. The kids, who call themselves The Losers' Club, face less-tangible personal demons than in the mini-series, and the result is well-sustained suspense, where the threats seem palpable and the fully developed punches aren't pulled. There's a creepy roadside-drain prologue and a nightmare sewer-system closing confrontation with evil clown Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård on disturbing form), though the bloody bathroom scene is the stand-out shocker that's on a memorable par with The Shining's lift sequence.