“We all float down here.”
Join Ian & Kev, along with BFF of the BFE: James DeGuzman, for our 302nd episode as we descend into the sewers of Derry, Maine, and confront childhood trauma, red balloons, and Stephen King nightmare fuel with It: Chapter One (2017). Megs and Liam? They said they weren’t afraid of clowns… right up until Pennywise offered them a balloon. We’re hoping they resurface soon.
This week we discuss:
- Why It tapped into a new generation’s fear of clowns — and whether it’s earned or just clever filmmaking.
- Bill Skarsgård’s terrifying turn as Pennywise — physicality, psychology, and drool.
- How the film balances coming-of-age warmth with soul-shaking horror — friendship vs. fear.
- King’s original novel vs. the adaptation — what gets streamlined, what gets lost, and what gets under your skin.
- Does this film prove that horror is strongest when it’s tied to universal childhood anxieties?
- How the film is able to position that early coming-of-age feelings of romance without coming across as creepy
- The Losers’ Club: perfect casting? We break down who stands out and who feels underserved.
- Why the sewer sequences and the house on Neibolt Street raise the bar for modern horror set pieces.
- Ian talks about narrative structure and why splitting the story into “kid chapter” and “adult chapter” was the smartest possible move.
- James brings the expert scare analysis — and takes the BFE to task over their anti-horror bias
- Does Pennywise’s final reveal hold up — or does CGI drain the fear away?
- And finally, whether It: Chapter One is the Best Film Ever — or just the best nightmare you’ll keep watching anyway.
Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE
We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:
- Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
- Hermes Auslander
- James DeGuzman
- Synthia
- Shai Bergerfroind
- Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
- Andy Dickson
- Chris Pedersen
- Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
- Randal Silva
- Nate The Great
- Rev Bruce
- Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
- Richard
- Ryan Kuketz
- Dirk Diggler
- Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
- NorfolkDomus
- John Humphrey's Right Foot
- Timmy Tim Tim
- Aashrey
- Paul Komoroski
Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.
Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.
Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/
