Just in time for Halloween, Warner Bros. released “It Chapter Two.” The film is the hotly-anticipated sequel to 2017’s “It.” 

The release of “It Chapter Two” completed director Andy Muschietti’s modern-day adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name. The film combines horror, comedy and character growth in a way that should not work, because horror and comedy together usually lead to a film you cannot take seriously, but “It Chapter Two” manages to scrape together a well-rounded film running just under a three-hour runtime.

The film picks up almost three decades after the Losers’ Club’s original battle against Pennywise in “It.”.The film shows the now-adult characters’ return to their childhood home of Derry, Maine, to finish what they started 27 years ago.

The cast does a great job of displaying what the children from the first film would be like 27 years older. They face struggles similar to the ones they faced as children, as well as a few new ones. The humorous dynamic between the members of the group also makes a return. Although they maintain the same sense of humor, it’s aged appropriately with each of the characters.

The film provides enough flashbacks that any person watching who is unfamiliar with the events of the first film will still be able to understand. 

However, it would be better to watch chapter one before journeying into this film. Having already seen a movie with these same characters allows you to feel as though you’ve aged with them, and you’re aware of each character’s personality. This makes scenes with emotional importance or danger carry more weight.

Moments when the characters aren’t cautious of the danger,  where they reminisce with one another, feel so warm and genuine that you almost forget what the movie is about.

Pennywise the clown, the film’s terrifying antagonist, is once again effectively played by Bill Skarsgård. He pokes at the Losers Club’s many fears and emotions throughout the film and he is just as expressive as he was in the first installment. With Skarsgård’s performance, you can feel how badly Pennywise wants to not only kill the protagonists, but he also wants them to suffer emotionally and physically. This, accompanied with his ability to transform into literally anything he desires, makes Pennywise one of the most terrifying villains of the 21st century. When an intense scene is building, there is no way to tell in what form he will appear .

Despite the exhausting run time, “It Chapter Two” does a fantastic job of reflecting the pains and fears of revisiting the demons of one’s past—especially if that demon is an interdimensional psychotic clown. Though sometimes clichéd, the film reflects the power of strong friendships and the importance of remembering the good and bad memories that come from childhood.