As many other parents have no doubt discovered, the opening of a popular film in the local cinema is advantageous for getting stuff done around the house. Don't believe me? My fourteen-year-old wanted to see It (the sequel) on the weekend, and needed money for his ticket. This meant he actually ASKED for chores. In an interesting twist, one of the characters in the book, Richie Tozier, wanted to see a horror movie so pestered his father for chores (this was in the 1957 setting of the book, and he, along with Beverley and Ben, saw I Was a Teenage Werewolf). I was pleased to get the dog walked several times, and the floors mopped.
I also wanted to see the movie, as the same sprog and I had viewed the first one upon its release a couple of years ago. I gushed about what a great time we would have going to the cinema together. My son looked at me as though I was leading him on the path to Social Death, and told me he planned to attend with his friend. I pointed out the session he wanted to attend ended after 11.00pm, and no way would they be walking home at that time, so Mum was going. A compromise was reached by me promising to not sit anywhere near them in the cinema.
So I dropped my kid at Maccas, and arranged to meet them at the cinema before session (I had the bright idea of pre-purchasing tickets in case they sold out). It was an almost surreal experience lining up to go in (I was several patrons ahead of my son and his gang of mates in the queue). I do believe I was the oldest person there; just about everybody attending was in their teens. I guess it was Saturday night out for them, and many of the older ones are children whom I've known since kindergarten, as they were friends with my oldest. I know what an old fart I must sound, but it's weird to see someone you remember as a shy little boy with a piping voice now a developed young man with a beard.
As for the film, well, I didn't mind it TOO much. I think it relied too heavily on sudden scare, and bucket-of-blood tactics. It's a given that the book's better, because it nearly always is. I was given the book as a present when I turned 21. One of my then housemates gave it to me. I was delighted when I unwrapped it, and couldn't wait to start reading. The girlfriend of another housemate said, 'I will have to borrow that book from you, Simone.' I smiled sweetly, and thought: In your dreams, you entitled bong-sucking bitch.
There is a scene in the book, which thankfully was not in either of the films, involving a child orgy. I did not understand, and to this day still do not understand, why Stephen King wrote in in there. It adds simply nothing to the plot, or character development, or anything really. It's plain bloody gross. I am not about to tell another writer what he or she can and cannot have in his or her work, but I read that scene, shuddered, and thought: What the fuck?
But anyway, I have seen the movie, and my kid had maintained a level of credibility among his friends.
Well, I have a lesson to finalise, and a speech for my upcoming book launch to consider. Thank you for reading this post. If you're interested in my latest book, you can read the first chapter by clicking the link on the home page of this blog.
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