4 Reasons Why Andy Muschietti's IT Has Brought Kids Back Into the Horror Genre

To be fair, the younger characters honestly never "went away." They've just been placed in the background as fodder for screams and scares. There was a time in the genre when the "kid" was the hero! Like how the classic female heroine was so big back in the day, too. Those times ended, however, as the trend disappeared from the likes of the Goonies and Monster Squads of old, and we thought we'd never see another adaptation of Stephen King's IT ever come to theaters (because the first one never did).

But We Did, and Boy Did It Deliver!

What we weren't prepared for was just how much it would deliver beyond that of the film itself. Not only did it smash box office records and earn the prestige of moviegoers and critics alike, but even the young actors themselves saw quite a bit of success following the boost of what a little show like STRANGER THINGS could do....

(And the funny thing is one of these actors aren't even from the IT remake at all....)

Needless to say, success comes from just one breakout role. This is definitely the case. Because these four young hopefuls may change the way we look at the horror genre for a very long time, starting with....

Chosen Jacobs

Chances are good this kid rings a bell with you (but only if you saw that IT remake). Relatively unknown, you wouldn't believe that this kid has a gig of a lifetime now. Arguably bigger than anything Mr. Muschietti could muster. Check it out right here.

Jaeden Lieberher

Same here with this one. But he had the pivotal role in IT, launching him to super-stardom probably even better than anyone on STRANGER THINGS (although wait until season 3 comes out, and then I'll be eating my words). Jaeden's pushed the envelope big time, and here's why.

Jackson Robert Scott

Little Georgie! How could we not remember? What many of us might not realize is that while Scott here had a rather minor (but impressionably frightening role) in IT, he has quite the filmography under his belt, including this recent report on a role he snagged....

McKenna Grace

Would you believe that this kid may actually have a larger repertoire than Mr. Scott up there? Well, she does. Just another reason why the kid actors out there are total platinum in this industry and genre. Plus she gets to play one heck of a bad seed as you'll read right here.

Thank You, STRANGER THINGS, for Bringing the Love of Horror Back!

And this might just be only the beginning. Sure, we got a whiff of it with things like THE OMEN and all of that, but any recent remakes (and the obvious television show) didn't deliver like they should've. But maybe that will all change. Talents like this don't go unnoticed. And the horror genre's looking good because of it.