IT Soundtrack: Composer, Album and Songs

The notable songs in the IT movies are a run of late 1980s pop, hip hop and metal in It (2017) and a smaller, stranger set in It Chapter Two (2019), both directed by Andy Muschietti. Benjamin Wallfisch scored both films, but the needle drops are what place the Losers Club in their summer, and several of them sit right beside the scares.

It (2017)

The 2017 film leans hardest on New Kids on the Block, who appear twice. "Hangin' Tough" plays while Ben talks about the history of Derry's beaver-trapping camp and Beverly smiles at him, and "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" comes from Ben's headphones in an outdoor scene with Beverly. Young MC's "Bust a Move" plays from a speaker system as the boys of the Losers' Club watch Beverly sunbathe.

The tone shifts with the rest of the list. The Cure's "Six Different Ways" plays indoors while the Losers' Club cleans up blood, and Anthrax's "Antisocial" plays as Henry confronts the group and carries into the action sequence that follows. The Cult's "Love Removal Machine" plays through a Derry High School sequence as Bill walks the hallway with Richie and Eddie, and Anvil's "666" plays from a vehicle's speakers as Henry rides past and then confronts Mike.

It Chapter Two (2019)

The sequel looks back at the same era through flashbacks. Cameo's "Word Up!" plays from a speaker during a flashback in which young Stanley and young Richie talk about spiders, and New Kids on the Block return with "Cover Girl", which plays through young Ben's headphones after he is bullied, just before he sees Pennywise on a projection screen.

The present-day scenes use older material. Juice Newton's "Angel of the Morning" begins as Eddie fights a creature that then vomits on him, and "Det Er Det Skønneste Jeg Ved", by Max Hansen with Teddy Petersen and His Orchestra, plays from a speaker as Beverly visits her childhood home and has an unsettling encounter with Mrs. Kersh. John Philip Sousa's "El Capitan" is also among the songs in the film.

If you want to hear the songs in context, the IT movies in order page sets out the sequence, and where to watch IT covers streaming in the US, UK and Australia.

Our picks: the best songs in the IT films (opinion)

• "Antisocial" by Anthrax: in my opinion it is the most effective drop in either film, because the music keeps going once Henry's confrontation turns into action.
• "Bust a Move" by Young MC: it makes the summer feel carefree right before the film reminds you how exposed these kids are.
• "Six Different Ways" by The Cure: a quiet, moody song set against the Losers' Club cleaning up blood is an odd pairing, and perhaps that is why it sticks.
• "Hangin' Tough" by New Kids on the Block: it gives Ben and Beverly a small, sweet moment in a film that rarely lets anyone relax.
• "Cover Girl" by New Kids on the Block: a pop song in young Ben's headphones sets up the Pennywise appearance on the projection screen, and the contrast is the point.
• "Det Er Det Skønneste Jeg Ved" by Max Hansen and Teddy Petersen and His Orchestra: an old Danish recording over Beverly's visit to her childhood home makes an already uneasy scene stranger.