If you read the book you would know that this is the exact style of prequel that would make sence... Anyone saying " Have they even read the book " is obviously rage baiting and probably never read the book.
So far my only concern is that they feel they need to make the horror as gory and uncomfortable as possible and that may take away from the story. It feels like a stephen king setting and has the humor that king has always used for young boys of that generation. It is a great start and I will update my review if needed.