With less than a month until the highly anticipated IT adaptation makes its way into theaters, it is safe to say that we're equal parts excited and scared. Andy Muschietti's upcoming film looks like one of the best horror movies in recent memory, and the film's marketing campaign has done a fantastic job selling us on the property. That said, its marketing just kicked into high gear, as an 8-bit IT video game has officially debuted online. Be warned: it is addictive AND terrifying.
The core premise of the IT video game is pretty simple -- as 8-bit games are known to be. Giving players control of the S.S. Georgie, the game sends us through a sewer gutter to pick up red balloons as we float (because we all float down here). Along the way, the player must use the keyboard controls to dodge obstacles and the occasional Pennywise. It's certainly simple by the standards of modern video games offered by Xbox or PlayStation, but that simplicity makes it easy to pick up quickly and endlessly fun to play -- even with the constant sound of a clown laughing through your speakers.
One of the best aspects of this 8-bit IT video game is the way in which it captures the spirit of the film's era. Director Andy Muschetti has made a bold creative choice in his decision to move The Losers Club story from the 1950s to the 1980s, but the film seems to have made a very concerted effort to encapsulate the idea of being a child in the Reagan era. This is something that we have seen other properties try to capture in recent years. Although Stranger Things is arguably the most notable example, numerous films and TV shows have also delved into the 1980s well to capitalize on our collective nostalgia for Dungeons and Dragons, pudding cups that come in metal cans and Amblin movies.
IT (the first in a planned duo of films adapting Stephen King's classic novel) initially centers on The Losers Club in Derry, Maine in the 1980s. Following the disappearance of a young boy named Georgie at the hands of a demonic clown named Pennywise, the kids in Derry begin to suspect that there's something not quite right in their seemingly idyllic town. As they dive deeper and deeper into the mystery, they soon uncover a terrifying secret that will haunt them for the rest of their lives. There is, of course, plenty of anticipation surrounding the film (particularly because of its distance from Tim Curry's iconic portrayal of Pennywise in the original miniseries), but this version of IT does look like an entirely different beast altogether.
IT will debut in theaters on September 8. Until then, check out this awesome 8-bit game and let us know how excited you are for the film in the comments below!
