I actually saw the mini-series before I read the book. Just wondering because of the hysteria over this new adaption, what did fans of the novel innitially think when seeing commercials and pictures for the 1990 mini-series?
I was about ten when It came out, and I remember being scared by it. It did motivate me to read the book years later, and it wasn't until watching some of the series on youtube that I realized how poor the mini series was.
I liked it. I loved the book, but I liked the miniseries. I think the things I liked about it tend to be the stuff most the people did and still do, like the soundtrack. I have no shame in admitting I have it on my ipod. Tim Curry played a great Pennywise for the miniseries, though I feel as if he made the role his own and that it just wasn't Pennywise from the book. I feel like a lot of the characters were that way, honestly. And like many others, I did definitely enjoy part 1 to part 2. A lot was changed, it was TV-appropriate, and that means deviating very far from the book. Instead of Eddie encountering the leper, we have him taking a shower after a scene where he just said how much he wished summer would never end. That kind of stuff bugged me. But I do praise the younger cast. JB's Henry Bowers, albeit more tame than Psycho Henry in the novel, did good with his role. But even the director and adult actors had a whole list of complaints about the 2nd half, the commentary makes the miniseries much more interesting. I think they did the best with what they could do, which wasn't much. It wasn't the most horrible Stephen King adaptation I've ever seen, though.
As many others here, I read the book after being terrified of the mini-series as a child. Reading the book was cathartic. I too, enjoyed Part 1 a lot and the issues with part two are well-documented. the largest issue I had is how silly Pennywise got. He was just a regular old prankster clown and lost all of the creepiness and mystique.