#80 - IT Chapter 2 (A Strange Halloween 3)

Derry Maine is an odd town

Perfect for Pennywise the clown

He feeds on fear, the stories claim

As he pulls your carcass down the drain

A group of kids, resolute and bold

Change the way the story’s told

A losers’ club combats the fear

And vow to fight should IT reappear

Now the second half of the tale

They may be older, but hardly frail

The fight renewed, the club reconvene

It’s IT Chapter 2 on A Strange Halloween

It's been a good few years since IT Chapter 1 graced the cinema, when we didn't have to worry for our lives paying the place a visit

We were teased with a sequel as it began and with it making all the money, the sequel was inevitably greenlit. And it was given a larger budget, $79m, more than double the budget of the original.

But it seems there were some cutbacks when it came to writing, the original had 3 writers, Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga and Gary Dauberman, only Gary Dauberman returned to write the sequel.

The film made $473.1m at the box office, which is profitable but not even close to the $700m chapter 1 made, and the critical reception was more mixed and for good reason. And it’s on Rage4Media so you can guess which side of the divide I fall on. But why? Let’s take a look and find out.

A Strange Halloween 3 - Stranger Things Season 3 Episodes 7-8

Dangers approach as we come to the end

No sign that anything’s on the mend

The gate may be pierced but it’s only ajar

And Russian security got them only so far. 

Hopper’s an outlaw, through corruption and greed

He’s called in a favour to help them succeed

But only half of the tale does he know

As Billy has something deadly in tow 

The Mind Flayer has mind for revenge on El

And his plan is succeeding, the past stories tell

Nothing good can come of this scheme

As it comes to pass on A Strange Halloween

 

We’re about to wrap up this month’s Stranger Things run, and things are looking pretty grim for our heroes with them being squeezed on both fronts, how will they get out of this one? Let’s take a look.

A Strange Halloween 3 - Stranger Things Season 3 Episodes 5-6 (Netflix Retrospective)

It seems that Hawkins will never see rest

As Billy failed the sauna test

The Mind Flayer returns, an army at call

And chemicals, it seems to want them all 

Nancy and Jonathan investigate

But problems they seem to instigate

Fired from their paper, their romance askew

But maybe their boss is not who they knew 

Joyce and Hopper check out the lab

It seems derelict, abandoned and drab

But a knockoff Terminator follows their feet

As a Russian scientist they happen to meet 

Dustin and Steve with Robin in tow

Sneak into a lift, how low will it go?

Erica with them, a green vial found

Only trouble can ensue with that around

The Lab and The Flayer, two threats at the door

Corrupt Mayors and scientists we must not ignore

One could hope that it’s only a dream

But it’s all come to pass on A Strange Halloween

A Strange Halloween 3 - Stranger Things Season 3 Episodes 3-4 (Netflix Retrospective)

Starcourt Mall, shiny and bold

Has shattered relationships, so I am told

Billy was a lifeguard, became a prophet

And Downtown stores aren’t making a profit

Hopper is upset his date didn’t show

As magnets stop, how? We don’t know

A radio message, a code in disguise

An enemy, Russian, one to despise 

But old threats are not out the game

Billy and his army of rats are to blame

The Mind Flayer is back, weak but still mean

We continue this plight on A Strange Halloween 

If that sounded a bit scatter-brained that’s only because that describes the last two episodes perfectly, still, they’ve scattered an entertaining series of clues for us to be engaged by along with some teen relationship drama. Let’s see how things continue…

A Strange Halloween 3 - Stranger Things Season 3 Episodes 1-2 (Netflix Retrospective)

A lot can happen in a small town

When it’s connected to the upside-down

What began as a search for a lost child;

Became a horror show, deadly and wild 

Though the child in end was found

There still was danger around

And through the course of season 2

That threat began to rise anew 

Pushed back by force, its portal gone

A girl adopted; time moves on

But one summer will prove far from serene

For it’s Stranger Things on A Strange Halloween

It’s been a while since we last looked at Stranger Things. Season 3 was released in the summer of 2019. The trailers had bigged up a new shopping mall built in town of Hawkins, Starcourt. But there was very little plot actually teased, only the notion that Will wasn’t going to be put through the mill again this season. So with that in mind, let’s take a look at Stranger Things season 3 and see if lived up to the hype.