You didn’t think it was over, did you?
Just like The Losers, we will be drawn back to Derry in 2019 to follow up on Stephen King’s blockbuster reimagining of IT. And, just like the beleaguered teens, we will not be ready for what awaits us. The residents of Derry have never been ready for what the creature that they refer to as “IT” brings about in 27 year cycles of misery and terror.
But, we are all adults here. Certainly, we will be equipped to handle the cinematic boogeyman’s second trip around the wheel in Derry, right? No, you will not.
Last week, the scripted version of a scene thought to be far past the bounds of what could be reasonable expected to frighten a theater-goer was released. The scene deemed so extreme to the senses and sensibilities of the audience (a Stephen King audience, mind you) that it was not taken out of the first picture because it was never even filmed.
They are very likely putting it right back in IT 2.
Here’s the scene. I wouldn’t read it if you’d like to sleep anytime this week. Odds are that you will. Just don’t say that you weren’t warned.
This entity is a in a whole different galaxy than the gruesome Jason Voorhees. He of the many varied methods of deathly dispatch has plenty of gore and gross. But, even with the “Man of the Goalie Mask” and his resurrections and seemingly endless sequels there is something otherworldly in Pennywise showcasing his talents with literal wall-to-wall blood and the dancing clown does his dirty work through any manner of objects from slide projectors to dismembered arms. He’s literally out of this world.
Pennywise is from a dimension outside our own made of pure terror, chaos, and torture. He’s a being so alien to our own understanding that our mind can only get close to conceiving of his actual form as orange floating balls of light called “deadlights” by some that have caught a fleeting glimpse. The unlucky that fully gazed upon them are almost exclusively driven insane. One exception is a certain young female member of our favorite band of Derry misfits who escaped the clutches of the shape- shifting “IT” in the first installment. We can all be certain that little stunt will not be forgotten as another 27-year cycle elapses and IT again returns to feed. The clown is not really a clown. He just plays one in your nightmares.
Those nightmares would be powerful in the razor-gloved hands of Freddy Krueger. Imagine the carnage that the sweater-wearing dream thief could do in Derry. A town with enough nightmares to fill his personal salad bar for decades would make the burnt-up baddy a force with which to be reckoned. However, Pennywise has been holed up beneath the town of Derry for possibly billions of years, learning to feed, crafting pure fear out of each experience. Pennywise doesn’t want to destroy like Freddy, he literally feeds on fear and the more he can generate, the better the meal. Oh, and Pennywise is not trapped in dreams. He can come and go from reality and dreamscape whenever and however IT wishes.
This evil thing we call IT is trapped in a struggle with a benevolent yet bored spirit guardian called “Maturin” who carries our world upon his giant shell. I forgot to mention that Maturin is a turtle. Granted, he is a large enough to hold a planet on his back and powerful enough to hold an entity like IT at bay in multiple dimensions, but he’s old. Maturin and the other spirit guardians have been around since before the earth cooled. There are many of them but let’s stay focused on Maturin and IT.
If there is some question as to whether Maturin will be making an appearance in IT 2: Pennywise (the rumored title), I would ask if viewers noticed the giant turtle guardian’s influence throughout the first movie. A lego turtle, a swimming Loser commenting on a turtle seen below the water, and several other brief cameos by turtles lead us to believe that the younger Losers battled the clown with otherworldly assistance from Maturin.
Now, though, it is 27 years later. The Deadlights are back for another feast and the ancient turtle may be dead. This time the focus is on Pennywise and we are all in a lot of trouble. The Losers themselves will be adults and the final casting has not been announced as of yet. Seeing both their adult selves and the memories of their childhood is even more fuel for IT to use. It would seem that in addition to getting even more material to work with, a second chance at The Losers, and a serious production focus on pushing the horror envelope, the clown is going to have his existence explored. You all can go first. I’ll hold the flashlight.
Haven’t brought myself to watch the film…. but I might go on Halloween