Growing up as a child, I’ve always been a fan of horror films. Chucky, Nightmare on Elm Street, Dolly, Puppet Master, Pet Cemetery, Hell Raiser, Demon Night and so on. Not sure where my morbid mentality stems from, but it has always been something that I could relate the darkness of my mind to. If there was a horror film, I was always the first to talk about it. From the Ghost Stories to Tell in The Dark books I read in elementary, to blood and gore; I’ve always found a exhilarating excitement to what fears are made of. While many horror films make their way into film production and into the theaters to test horror fans scare levels, there’s always those few movies that become a replicated classic that delves into your childhood worst nightmares. IT One of my favorite, yet chilling, films I knew as a child. Somehow, I also owned the original 18th Steven King novel. While it was a bit extreme for me to be reading this book at such a young age, it’s a classic that I’ve kept all throughout my adult years. When finding out that they were going to be making a replica of the original Pennywise, I turned my nose up at the idea that no one could be a better alien clown than actor Tim Curry. I mean we aren’t talking about Killer Clowns From Outerspace, this is Pennywise; and while I’ve never had a fear for clowns and more so dolls, this was a childhood favorite I felt should be left entirely alone. Eventually, I became opened to the idea of a more modern spin to this ultimate classic. Modern meaning a more direct vision of what I always wondered when Georgie was killed. Earlier in the month of August, a haunted house was being built on the corner of Hollywood and Vine. Given that I stay pretty local to my own living grounds away from the chaos of Los Angeles, I found out towards the end of this month, September, that with free admission, fans and curious onlookers could experience the creepy haunted house and sewer tunnels that Pennywise lurked in. A clever Warner Brothers marketing strategy for their film IT that hit theaters September 8th while the official red carpet movie premier showcased September 6th. I completely dropped the ball by not thinking to ask another Blogger Babe friend if she could get me access into the previous screening, so when I made a commitment to face all my fears, it was all or nothing at all. The Neilbolt Haunted House was a seven hour experience that was worth taking advantage of if you’re a true fan at heart. It took dedication and commitment on my part to come out of my introverted bubble that I tend to have when attending anything by myself, but I wasn’t going to rely on the flakiness of others and so I decided to put my big girl pants on and experience this one time event on my own. I made sure to be in line no later than 10 am being that VIP tickets had already sold out within the first month. Surprisingly, this house was noted as being a word through mouth ordeal. There wasn’t much advertisement but rather curiosity that gained the attention of fans. Being that the experience started roughly around 11 am and ended at 11 pm, I knew I wanted to get there earlier than later. For each minute, the line grew longer and longer until I found a 2 hour meter and paid up. I was far too anxious to look for free parking and then sprint in line before more people started showing. During the time of waiting, I met a group of three awesome separate couples with me being the seventh wheel. Ana, Andrew, Ashley, Nate, Jake and Yvette. For the next several hours, we found similarities in our interest for horror films and getting a perfect tan from the sun. There wasn’t a dry moment in our conversations which made the hours standing in the heat seem irrelevant in making new friends from different places with a lot in common. Being that I had to put money in my meter at a total of $12 versus what many had paid parking for at $30, a form of trust was already built when I had to walk back to my car three times. When I was asked if I wanted to be pulled out of the line to beat the amount of hours in the sun I would have to wait in, I decided to stay behind with the nice group of people I had just met. While most people are every man for themselves, sometimes it’s the little moments that make the experience even better and I was willing and patient. The heat was killing us while increasing our thirst and hunger, but we were dedicated to roast and toast until we followed Gorgie and his red balloon inside the haunted house. Inevitably, our group split up when we had to be grouped into nine people, and with VIP conveniently arriving to mess up our number count, we were split up into three. I went with the funny couple Ana and Andrew from Ventura who have the perfect relationship and love for horror. The haunted house was more like a tour where groups of nine people were lead through the haunted walls by a character playing Georgie. Once inside, there was no turning back since in the beginning, all guest were made to sign a waiver and show their I.D for valid entrance. Photography and videography were permitted just as long as the flash wasn’t on, but with all the darkness surrounding our paths, a little flash could’ve definitely helped. Being that I was planning on seeing the actual film towards the end of the night, I wasn’t too sure what to expect and who my reflex would hit if anything or anyone jumped out at me. The tour was to play off specific scenes from the movie after I was able to catch the 7 pm showing. We were able to browse around in specific parts of the room that felt as if we were actually in the film, and while it definitely was eerie, it definitely wasn’t worth a seven hour wait. Three hours, yes. After the tour, there was a virtual bus that was an additional 20 mins. We almost passed it looking at the time, but we figured we waited this long so why not see what this was all about. Ironically, this was actually better. We waited inside of a closed room that looked as if we were in the sewers and when the doors opened, there were cushioned chairs for us to sit in with head phones and 3d virtual reality headsets. While we were hoping that with the 20 additional wait time they were sanitizing the headsets, we went ahead and placed them on our heads for another IT experience. Now this was definitely worth the additional wait time as it was a 360° experience. So that meant that even while sitting in our comfy chairs, we were literally a part of the film from every angle; even to the point of being a little too close for comfort. A few times I had to calmly lean myself as far away from a clown or bloody balloon in my face while still maintaining my composure. If this ever came out for purchase, I’d most likely buy it. After we were given a movie poster, I said bye to Ana and Andrew since they were the only remaining two in our original group. The line was still insanely long and I could only feel accomplished as I quickly walked to my car so that I may race home and crash into my bed. As I noted before, I did end up going to catch IT for a 7:10 showing at The Grove. Earlier, Ana and Andrew had mentioned a D box version where you have a more motion based experience while watching the film, I chose to just take the jumping out of my seat here and there experience versus paying double the price for a ticket. While the film was really good, the obsessions with extending hours was wearing me down. It definitely filled my imaginations that the original couldn’t quite touch on even though it is a Steven King film, but being that I am an 80’s baby, I just couldn’t help but to feel somewhat attached to the fear I had as a child. I’m happy I didn’t pass up the haunted house and went to see the movie in the flesh amongst other fans, although some probably aren’t even old enough to appreciate the old school version before all the modern technology of horror films. I will definitely see this version again, but I highly doubt that many people caught on to the fact that this is only the first chapter to the story and a second one will soon come. You’ll float too