The first trailer for the highly anticipated sequel to 2017’s It has arrived, and the outwardly bucolic world of Stephen King’s Derry, Maine, is as eerie and spine-tingling as ever.
Pennywise torments Jessica Chastain in the first trailer for It: Chapter Two
Shoutout to the dancing naked spirit-grandma!
Aja Romano wrote about pop culture, media, and ethics. Before joining Vox in 2016, they were a staff reporter at the Daily Dot. A 2019 fellow of the National Critics Institute, they’re considered an authority on fandom, the internet, and the culture wars.
The new trailer introduces us to the other “half” of King’s famously sprawling novel, in which the adult members of the “Losers Club” begin to confront their pasts and terrifying childhoods battling Pennywise, the evil, murderous, shape-shifting clown.
The trailer sees Jessica Chastain as a now-adult Beverly, visiting her old home in Derry. There, she meets its new owner — or who she thinks is its new owner.
As far as scares go, this one is pretty predictable; we know Pennywise is in the house the moment the door opens. But as the scene plays out, its dreamy, slow-build atmosphere gives us the same sort of fairy tale-turned-nightmare vibe that made the first film a record-breaking box office smash.
It took us back to the ’80s to inspire nostalgia for our childhoods, as it focused on a stellar cast of kids, including Finn Wolfhard and Sophia Lillis. All of them are back for this movie, which alternates between flashbacks to the past and the modern-day present, in which the grown-up Losers — an all-star cast of adults — have to face their demons.
The group made a pact at the end of the first film to return to Derry if the evil should ever resurface. Now, we see Beverly, Bill (James McAvoy), Mike (Isaiah Mustafa), Richie (Bill Hader), Ben (Jay Ryan), and Eddie (James Ransone) all remaining faithful to their vow and returning to fight Pennywise — hopefully for the last time.
It appeared in the middle of a Stephen King renaissance that has yet to wane, and the two-year wait for the new film hasn’t dulled fans’ eagerness. This trailer promises more of the heartfelt nostalgia and pure-hearted friendships — alongside the terrifying clowns and the King universe Easter eggs, and — hey, why does that circus worker look so much like Jack Torrance in The Shining?? — that made the first film such a success.
Bring on the balloons!
