October 28, 2025

Episode 302 - It

4 hours 29 minutes

“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/

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