Originally a novel by Stephen King and then a TV mini-series, “It” was released as a feature film last Friday — and with it were droves of fans waiting to see whether the remake would stand for itself. Well, it does. And I, who am not a fan of horror movies, loved this one — which doesn’t mean it isn’t scary, because it’s pretty terrifying. But what made this film special is that it truly felt like a throwback to the 1980s, celebrating at once those good ol’ stories of a band of misfit children coming together — think “Stand by Me,” also by Stephen King, or “The Goonies” — and an ode to small-town terror films such as “Nightmare on Elm Street.” Fans of the Netflix series “Stranger Things” will love this film as there are many parallels — one being child actor Finn Wolfhard, who hits it out of the park with his performance as Richie. So just imagine how it must have felt walking out of the theater feeling emotions ranging from exhilarated, hopeful and nostalgic to shaky, fearful and on edge. That’s a once-in-a-blue-moon occurrence, and this film was the one to conjure all that.

— Mary Biekert