Ever since ABC released an almost impressively boring two-part adaptation of Stephen King‘s It, fans of the genuinely bizarre horror novel have been waiting for a proper take on King’s book to hit the big screen. It’s a long shot that the wildly perverse bonding ritual that The Losers Club enact after their first battle with Pennywise would make any cut of the movie – unless Gaspar Noe is tapped to write and direct – but at the very least, any adaptation of It should be scary from beginning to end. What else is one to expect from a story centered on an evil alien entity that cloaks itself in the guise of a monstrous child-eating clown?

From the look of early reactions to director Andres Muschietti‘s upcoming take on King’s book, we might have received just what we were hoping for this time around. Indeed, as the social embargo lifted yesterday, flocks of critics and viewers took to Twitter and other social media platforms to praise the movie, its depiction of the 1958 portion of the story, and especially Bill Skarsgard‘s performance as the diabolical Pennywise. We’ll have to wait another two weeks for the movie to hit theaters nationwide on September 8th, but you can check out all the early responses and reviews of the movie right below.

Here are some of the first reactions to It:

I love the #ITMovie. It’s everything I wanted. Scary as shit, Skarsgard nails Pennywise, and the Losers are perfection. — Haleigh Foutch (@HaleighFoutch) August 26, 2017

#ITMovie is everything I hoped for & more. Has heart, laughs & TONS of incredible scares. Fell in love w/ The Losers. Didn’t want it to end. — Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) August 26, 2017

Just saw IT. Really well done. Cast were all great with some twisted visuals. Going to make a ton of money. Ready for the sequel tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/XYTEG39YCX — Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) August 26, 2017

Saw #ITMovie I loved it. Then took trash out in my empty, dark, stairwell… SHIT FREAKED ME OUT CAUSE THAT MOVIE SCARED ME LIKE FOR REAL — Mark E Reilly (@ReillyAround) August 26, 2017

I can say I saw #IT tonight. And IT was great. Cast is excellent. And, yes, is scary! This will be a, ahem, monster at the box office. — Jim Vejvoda (@JimVejvoda) August 26, 2017

#ITMovie: a carnival funhouse of a film; loud, scary, funny. And best of all: it has heart. #It — Chris Evangelista (@cevangelista413) August 26, 2017

Happy to say #IT is an effectively scary & faithful adaptation of (half) @StephenKing‘s novel. Walked out very satisfied. @ITMovieOfficial — Eric Walkuski (@ericwalkuski) August 26, 2017

Bill Skarsgard is putting in a performance that is going to turn him into the Freddy Krueger of a new generation. #ITMovie @ITMovieOfficial — Drew Dietsch (@DrewDietsch) August 26, 2017

The amount of violence and horrific imagery in regards to children is SHOCKING. They didn’t hold back. It’s great. #ITMovie @ITMovieOfficial — Drew Dietsch (@DrewDietsch) August 26, 2017

LOVED #ItMovie. Captured the spirit of the book & still created something new. Perfect combo of dark & fun. & The Losers Club was PERFECT! pic.twitter.com/ipkKlAORyt — ✨ Rachel Heine ✨ (@RachelHeine) August 26, 2017

#ItMovie was spooktacular. Great cast, surprisingly funny, and genuinely unnerving scares. You’ll still be freaked out when you get home. pic.twitter.com/n5EQpbk53N — Dan Casey (@DanCasey) August 26, 2017

Can’t post specifics yet but #ITMovie is GOOD. beep beep, Richie. Full review coming soon! pic.twitter.com/JcmwYJwbDS — Mike Rougeau (@RogueCheddar) August 26, 2017

IT is creepy, bloody, super funny, adorably romantic and hands down among my favorite movies of the year pic.twitter.com/tYpaNFHOsu — ErikDavis (@ErikDavis) August 26, 2017