---
title: "It Chapter Two"
year: 2019
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/it-chapter-two"
fi1m_id: "it-chapter-two"
imdb_id: "tt7349950"
tmdb_id: 474350
wikidata_id: "Q42726338"
fi1m_score: 55
critics_score: 62
critics_reviews: 27
published: "2026-10-05T15:09:46.962424+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-05T15:09:47.463622+00:00"
region: "TH"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# It Chapter Two (2019)

Directed by Andy Muschietti · 2h 49m · MC 15 · Horror, Thriller, Drama

## Identity

It Chapter Two

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/it-chapter-two
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** it-chapter-two
- **IMDb ID:** tt7349950
- **TMDB ID:** 474350
- **Wikidata ID:** Q42726338
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7349950/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/474350, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q42726338

**Fi1m score: 55** · Critics 62 from 27 reviews

*In a sentence:* Pennywise has a good cast to frighten and an unreasonable amount of time to get round to it

> Bill Hader and Bill Skarsgård give this overlong homecoming some wit and menace. But repetitive scares and badly timed jokes leave Andy Muschietti’s sequel struggling to justify its 169 minutes.

## Synopsis

Beverly Marsh (Jessica Chastain), Bill Denbrough (James McAvoy) and Richie Tozier (Bill Hader) return home to reunite with the Losers’ Club. The friends are grown up; the threat waiting for them is Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård), the killer clown they have faced before. Mike Hanlon (Isaiah Mustafa) is among the old friends brought together for another confrontation. They want to stop Pennywise, but coming back also means facing the fears attached to their childhood. As the group gathers, the adults find themselves confronting memories alongside the clown.

## Review

Andy Muschietti wants the return of the grown-up Losers’ Club to carry the weight of everything they have failed to leave behind. It is a sound reason to make a horror sequel, and *It Chapter Two* has actors capable of making those old fears hurt. But this is a disappointing, overextended film, repeatedly breaking its own suspense with jokes and working through too many similar scares. Its 169 minutes allow plenty of time to notice the repetition.

Bill Hader gives Richie Tozier the mixture of humour and distress that the film needs. The jokes suggest a person trying to get through something unpleasant, and there is feeling beneath them without a demand that we stop and admire it. James Ransone, as Eddie Kaspbrak, is another welcome presence, making the reunion feel less solemn and more human. Together they help us care about a group whose history can otherwise feel like homework.

Jessica Chastain brings conviction to Beverly Marsh’s fear, even when the film around her becomes excessive. James McAvoy, as Bill Denbrough, helps give the reunion seriousness, though the adult ensemble does not always convince as people with a shared past. The repeated returns to childhood are affecting in places. They also make it harder for the grown-up cast to establish a sustained rhythm together.

We were uneasy watching Bill Skarsgård work beneath Pennywise’s greasepaint. His performance makes the clown feel sufficiently wrong before the digital transformations start competing for our attention. Those effects are inventive, but their extravagance often makes the danger easier to dismiss, and the jump scares become tiring. There is a frustrating amount of effort spent amplifying a performance that already knows how to frighten us.

Checco Varese’s cinematography gives the quieter passages a controlled, watchful quality; the faces hold our attention better than the digital creatures. Paul Denham Austerberry’s production design helps those passages feel credible enough for the actors’ fear to register. The film is carefully made, and the images remain worth looking at when the scares stop working. Benjamin Wallfisch’s score presses hard on the horror, adding to the exhaustion when a scene is already crowded with effects. Some quiet would help.

Jason Ballantine’s editing has the difficult job of moving between ages while keeping a large ensemble in play. Individual passages have energy, but the repeated pattern of fear, spectacle and comic relief becomes predictable. The screenplay by Gary Dauberman and Jason Fuchs keeps returning to familiar emotional business without finding enough new pressure to put on it. By the middle, we were bored by scares whose timing had become so easy to anticipate.

For horror about childhood fears surviving into adulthood, the interruptions are especially damaging: we need to spend longer with the people when they are frightened. The cast can supply the attachment, but the film keeps hurrying on to another attraction despite its length. Those already fond of the Losers’ Club may find enough pleasure in the reunion. Come mainly for sustained dread and the patience required is much harder to justify.

*Fi1m score 55, published 5 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

The reviews lean towards qualified approval of It Chapter Two, with praise clustering around the adult cast and its handling of the Losers’ reunion. Bill Hader’s Richie is the most consistently admired performance, earning approval even from critics who find the sequel disappointing. Bill Skarsgård’s Pennywise also draws praise for supplying chills that the elaborate effects do not always match. Supporters find the horror inventive and the characters’ emotional lives affecting.

Excessive length and repetition are the recurring complaints, including among favourable reviews. Critics divide more sharply over whether the humour complements the horror or drains its suspense, and whether the adult ensemble recaptures the earlier film’s chemistry. The spread is wide: Empire considers the sequel a confident improvement, while Film Stories finds a bloated downgrade. Between those positions, many reviews describe an entertaining but uneven film whose performances do much of the work.

## Straight answers

**Is It Chapter Two worth watching?**

*It Chapter Two* is a mixed prospect we score 55 out of 100, with more to offer viewers fond of the Losers’ Club than those seeking sustained dread. Bill Hader brings wit and feeling, and Bill Skarsgård remains unsettling as Pennywise, but repetitive scares and badly timed jokes make its 169 minutes difficult to justify.

**How long is It Chapter Two, and what is it rated?**

*It Chapter Two* runs 2h 49m and is rated 15 by the MC in Thailand. It is a horror and thriller film.

**Where can I watch It Chapter Two in Thailand?**

*It Chapter Two* is streaming on HBO Max in Thailand, and it is also available to rent from Apple TV from ฿99.00. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is It Chapter Two, and is it suitable for children?**

*It Chapter Two* has a UK 15 certificate and is not suitable for children, with an unsettling killer clown, jump scares and elaborate digital transformations. We find Pennywise’s quieter menace more frightening than the effects; older teenagers comfortable with horror may find it manageable, but the certificate rules out treating it as a family viewing choice.

**How does It Chapter Two compare to Stand by Me?**

*It Chapter Two* is the weaker choice beside [*Stand by Me*](https://film.one/film/stand-by-me) if complicated childhood friendship is what draws you to these Stephen King adaptations. We find the latter’s funny, moving coming-of-age drama gives its young actors more room, despite some obvious emotional nudges; the horror sequel offers an adult reunion whose feeling is repeatedly interrupted by scares and jokes.

**Is It Chapter Two based on a true story or a book?**

*It Chapter Two* is adapted from a novel by Stephen King, rather than based on a true story. The film centres on grown-up friends confronting Pennywise and fears attached to their childhood; we find their shared history can feel like homework, but that is a criticism of the storytelling, not a reason to treat reading the novel as a prerequisite.

**What should I watch after It Chapter Two?**

After *It Chapter Two*, try [*Stand by Me*](https://film.one/film/stand-by-me) (1986, Fi1m 88): Another Stephen King adaptation that gives childhood friendship room to feel complicated. Then [*Ring*](https://film.one/film/ring) (1998, Fi1m 84): An investigation into a curse finds dread in ordinary rooms and recorded images; and [*The Babadook*](https://film.one/film/the-babadook) (2014, Fi1m 86): Domestic grief and a persistent creature make a more concentrated, uncomfortable horror story.

### Reviews we read (27)

- **Empire**, Alex Godfrey (90/100, inferred): Godfrey finds the sequel an obscenely entertaining, confident step up that is deeper, scarier and funnier. He especially praises Bill Skarsgård’s unnerving performance as Pennywise and the film’s bold, inventive horror spectacle. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/it-chapter-two/)
- **Evening Standard**, Charlotte O'Sullivan (4/5): O'Sullivan finds the film bold, frequently shocking and ultimately thrilling, though overlong and uneven. She especially praises its poignant portrayal of Richie’s concealed sexuality and thwarted desire. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/it-chapter-two-review-a-shocking-surprisingly-touching-return-to-a-grown-up-derry-a4228136.html)
- **Time Out**, Joshua Rothkopf (4/5): Rothkopf says this horror sequel more than surpasses its predecessor. He highlights the grown-up Losers’ Club confronting Pennywise again. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/it-chapter-two)
- **Slant Magazine**, Henry Stewart (3/4): Stewart finds the sequel knowingly campy and entertaining, though it cannot match the source novel’s scope. He especially praises Bill Hader’s more layered performance as Richie. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review-it-chapter-two-takes-knowingly-schlocky-aim-at-cultural-amnesia/)
- **Radio Times**, Alan Jones (72/100, inferred): The available standfirst describes the film as a captivating conclusion to the killer-clown saga. It singles out the Losers' Club's grim homecoming, but the full review is unavailable. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/it-chapter-two-review-stephen-king/)
- **Sight and Sound**, Lou Thomas (70/100, inferred): Thomas finds the sequel enjoyable but over-reliant on jump scares and nostalgia. He singles out Bill Skarsgård’s terrifying Pennywise performance as its chief source of real chills. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/it-chapter-two-review-pungently-nostalgic-pop-horror-epic)
- **Variety**, Peter Debruge (70/100, inferred): Debruge finds the sequel overlong but suitably scary, and ultimately satisfying in the way it brings the story to a close. He praises its inventive horror set pieces and the sense of closure, while criticizing the drawn-out running time. [Read](https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/it-chapter-two-review-1203321205/)
- **RogerEbert.com** (64/100, inferred): The review’s verdict cannot be verified because the page is blocked. Its specific praise or criticism is also unavailable. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/it-chapter-two-2019)
- **Screen Daily**, Kim Newman (64/100, inferred): The page identifies this as a review, but its verdict is hidden behind the access prompt. The visible standfirst only notes the grown-up Losers reuniting to face Pennywise again. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/it-chapter-two-review/5142468.article)
- **IndieWire**, Kate Erbland (C+): The review finds the sequel haltingly satisfying but overlong, repetitive, and less frightening than the first film. It praises the ensemble cast, especially Bill Hader’s standout performance as Richie. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/it-chapter-two-review-sequel-1202168988/)
- **The AV Club**, Katie Rife (C+): Rife finds the film underwhelming and not especially frightening, despite its appealing craft and performances. She singles out Bill Hader’s magnetic turn for praise, while criticizing the mistimed humor for undermining suspense. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/despite-a-scene-stealing-turn-from-bill-hader-it-chapt-1837795751)
- **The Guardian**, Mark Kermode (3/5): Kermode finds the sequel entertaining but frustrating, with spectacle that fails to deliver much emotional impact. He praises its visual style and singled-out eerily understated moments, while criticizing its episodic structure and reliance on humor that deflates dread. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/sep/08/it-chapter-two-review-stephen-king-clowning-around)
- **Total Film**, Jamie Graham (3/5): Graham finds the ambitious sequel slightly less affecting than its predecessor, though it captures the spirit of King’s novel. He praises the adult Losers’ performances, especially Bill Hader, and the film’s poignant shifts between timeframes, while criticizing its episodic middle and overreliance on CGI. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/it-chapter-2-review/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Jen Yamato (50/100, inferred): Yamato finds the film emotionally resonant but overstuffed, with its scares often falling short. She praises Jessica Chastain’s performance and singles out Beverly’s unsettling visit to her old apartment as the film’s most successful scene. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-09-03/it-chapter-two-review-2019)
- **Little White Lies**, Anton Bitel (3/2/2): Bitel finds the film an overlong, dull rehash of the first chapter. He singles out Pennywise’s brief appearance as a normal man in greasepaint as more menacing than the elaborate digital transformations. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/it-chapter-two)
- **The i Paper**, Demetrios Matheou (★★): The critic finds the sequel pointless, overlong, and predictable compared with the first film. Bill Skarsgård’s chilling performance as Pennywise is singled out as the film’s most frightening strength. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/it-chapter-two-review-bill-skarsgard-james-mcavoy-jessica-chastain-times-cast-334914)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, John DeFore (35/100, inferred): DeFore finds the film less satisfying than its predecessor, criticizing its repetitive structure and excessive length. He praises the casting and Bill Hader’s scene-stealing performance, but says the adult Losers lack the younger cast’s chemistry. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/it-chapter-two-review-1236130/)
- **Vulture**, Angelica Jade Bastién (30/100, inferred): Bastién finds the film frustratingly thin and tonally uneven, with too little horror or emotional weight. She particularly faults it for wasting Pennywise and making the scares feel silly and forgettable. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2019/09/it-chapter-two-review-we-need-more-pennywise.html)
- **Digital Spy**, Ian Sandwell (85/100, inferred): Sandwell finds the sequel creepy, affecting, and worthy of the first film. He particularly praises the casting and the performances of Bill Hader and James Ransone, while noting that some scares feel repetitive. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a28699997/it-chapter-2-review/)
- **Den of Geek**, Rosie Fletcher (4/5): The critic finds it an impressive, daring, and entertaining horror blockbuster, despite some flaws. She praises the adult cast and the film’s ambitious, unsettling set pieces, but finds the ending undercooked. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/it-chapter-two-review-an-ambitious-horror-blockbuster/)
- **/Film**, Chris Evangelista (8/10): The critic finds the film messy and uneven but ultimately rewarding for its bold scale and heartfelt grasp of Stephen King’s characters. Bill Hader’s performance as Richie is singled out as the standout. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/568831/it-chapter-two-review/)
- **Consequence**, Michael Roffman (70/100, inferred): Roffman finds the film emotionally affecting despite its exhausting jump scares, CGI, and overlong runtime. He particularly praises the heartfelt portraits of the Losers and the cast’s ensemble chemistry. [Read](https://consequence.net/2019/09/film-review-it-chapter-two/)
- **NME** (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the sequel a satisfying blend of horror and humor, despite its excessive length and an anticlimactic ending. They single out Bill Hader’s performance and the film’s strangest, most inventive scares for praise. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/it-chapter-2-review-stephen-king-pennywise-2544394)
- **The Wrap** (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the sequel stronger than its predecessor, praising its focus on intimate psychological horror. The scenes with Mrs. Kersh and Pennywise as Beverly’s father stand out for relying on performers rather than elaborate effects. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/it-chapter-two-film-review-jessica-chastain-pennywise/)
- **Paste**, Will Leitch (5.4): Leitch finds the sequel overlong and less compelling than its predecessor. He praises Bill Hader’s standout performance but faults the film for sidelining Pennywise and leaning on exhausting mythology. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/it/it-chapter-two)
- **Film Stories**, Simon Brew (30/100, inferred): Brew finds the film a bloated, disappointing downgrade that runs out of story despite its lengthy runtime. He praises Jessica Chastain and Bill Hader’s performances and the film’s capable direction and cinematography. [Read](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/it-chapter-2-review/)
- **The Ringer**, Miles Surrey (30/100, inferred): Surrey finds the sequel underwhelming and ultimately a missed opportunity to embrace the novel’s strangeness. He singles out the repetitive scare pattern and the film’s nearly three-hour runtime as key complaints. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2019/09/06/movies/it-chapter-two-review)

## Details

- **Director:** Andy Muschietti
- **Director:** Andy Muschietti
- **Screenplay:** Gary Dauberman, Jason Fuchs
- **Novel:** Stephen King
- **Cinematography:** Checco Varese
- **Editor:** Jason Ballantine
- **Music:** Benjamin Wallfisch
- **Production design:** Paul Denham Austerberry
- **Costume design:** Luis Sequeira
- **Producer:** Dan Lin, Roy Lee, Barbara Muschietti
- **Cast:** Jessica Chastain as Beverly Marsh; James McAvoy as Bill Denbrough; Bill Hader as Richie Tozier; Isaiah Mustafa as Mike Hanlon; Jay Ryan as Ben Hanscom; James Ransone as Eddie Kaspbrak; Andy Bean as Stanley Uris; Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise
- **Runtime:** 2h 49m
- **Certificate (MC):** 15
- **Release (Thailand):** 5 September 2019
- **Genres:** Horror, Thriller, Drama
- **Budget:** $79 million
- **Box office:** $473 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhJ5P7Up3jA

## Where to watch in Thailand

- HBO Max: streaming, uhd
- Apple TV: rent ฿99.00, hd
- Apple TV: buy ฿449.00, hd

*Checked 2026-10-05.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, TR, UA, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Stand by Me* (1986), Fi1m 88: Another Stephen King adaptation that gives childhood friendship room to feel complicated. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/stand-by-me.md)
- *The Devil's Backbone* (2001): Children face a haunting that grows more troubling as its history emerges.
- *Ring* (1998), Fi1m 84: An investigation into a curse finds dread in ordinary rooms and recorded images. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/ring.md)
- *The Babadook* (2014), Fi1m 86: Domestic grief and a persistent creature make a more concentrated, uncomfortable horror story. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-babadook.md)
- *The Innocents* (1961): A haunted household, watchful children and enough uncertainty to keep us uneasy.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/it-chapter-two