It director isn’t a big fan of the original

Many of us either have fond or terrifying memories of the 1990 It miniseries. Andrés Muschietti, who’s helming the 2017 film adaptation, isn’t the biggest fan of the original, however.

Speaking with SFX magazine, Muschietti mentioned that he was a bit too old when he first saw the classic miniseries.

“To be honest, I wasn’t a big fan of the miniseries. I was not a child anymore when it came out in 1990. So my attachment was very much to the book and to the world of Stephen King more than the miniseries.”

While not his cup of tea, the director can see way the original It has an audience.

“I totally acknowledge how iconic that miniseries was for a generation, but also you have to say that it impacted that generation because they saw it with very young eyes as a TV movie or on VHS.”

“A lot of people don’t remember the whole thing, but they are terrified of the iconic scenes of the clown behind the sheets in the beginning and the storm drain.”

Based on the trailers, Muschietti’s version seems to be taking a darker approach to the story. While Tim Curry’s Pennywise had a winking to the camera sensibility, Bill Skarsgård’s interpretation of the dancing clown is no laughing matter. This isn’t the first time an iconic clown got a more menacing makeover. Just compare Jack Nicholson’s Joker to Heath Ledger’s.

It hits theaters on September 8.