This project is a little late. I intended to release this little essay on Halloween; however, due to unfortunate circumstances, I could not do so. Therefore, it is my pleasure to share it with you now.
I should also tell you that this is a long one. Probably the longest piece I have written on this blog. There was a lot of ground to cover with this film's rewrite, and I did my best to keep this summary as brief as possible.
I hope you will enjoy what I have come up with for part two of my rewrite.
Last year, I laid down the foundation for my interpretation of IT: Chapter 2. The time has come for me to conclude this thought experiment with Part 2. If you have not yet read the first part of this little writing project, or if you need to reread it to refresh your memory, I will provide a link to it below.
Now, let’s get started.
Having established our heroes, they all take their anticipated (albeit dreaded) return home to Derry, Maine. They all meet up at a Chinese Restaurant, where they eat, drink, and reminisce about old times. The Losers Club celebrate their reunion with laughter, half-eaten food, and empty beer bottles. All seems lovely until the very reason for their gathering rears its ugly pale-faced head.
Fortune Cookies start coming to life, with horrendous looking monsters emerging from their shells. At first, everyone is shocked and a bit surprised. Until one of them remembers that it’s not real and proclaims such out loud to the whole group. Soon, they all calm down and ignore the miniature terrors crawling and flying around the table. As they shriek and claw on the table, trying ever so desperately to get a rise out of our heroes, they don’t flinch. In fact, after a moment, they start to laugh. They can’t contain themselves as to how ridiculous this whole thing is. Then, after a moment, the monstrosities fade away, looking pitiful and disheartened.
The group leaves the restaurant as Pennywise looks on from a distance. He is agitated beyond belief. How could they not be scared of him? Pennywise thinks out loud to himself. Soon, he realizes that he has to change his strategy with The Losers Club. He had been preying on kids for so long that he hadn’t needed to improve his planning. Now, he must reassess his approach. In the meantime, he decides the enlist some outside help.
We then cut to a flashback taking place just after The Losers Club defeated Pennywise the first time.
Young Henry Bowers (Nicholas Hamilton) washes out of the Sewers and into a creek. Covered in mud and blood, he shuffles his way back to his home, like a dog with his tail between his legs. Along the way, Henry passes by his car, with his murdered friends still inside. For those who don’t remember, Henry murdered his father, and likely his posse, moments before he tried to kill The Losers Club. Upon arriving at his home, the police arrest Henry. All the while, he is seeming looked down upon by a Red Ballon hovering over him.
We then cut back to the present day, as an adult Henry (Teach Grant) spends his days in a mental hospital. As Henry sits in a drug-induced daze, he looks out the window to see the same Red Balloon from all those years ago. Henry suddenly jumps into a frantic rave of terror. The orderlies grab Henry by the arms and drag him back to his room, locking the door behind them. The Red Balloon remains outside the window, appearing to inch closer and closer. Henry cries out for help out the door, looking away for a second. When he turns back, the Red Balloon is now in the room with him. Henry leans against the door, paralyzed with fear. Soon, the Red Ballon is a few inches from Henry’s face. Suddenly, it pops, and his old knife falls to the floor—the same one he used to kill his father and friends. Henry picks up the blade, and the door behind him has miraculously unlocked itself and opens. A mischievous grin crosses Henry’s face.
The Losers Club all meet up in Ben’s hotel suite, where he lays out his years of research. Ben summarizes his finding showing that Pennywise has been around for a long time. Possibly millennia. Beverly backs up Ben’s theories by recalling some of the images she saw when under Pennywise’s hypnotic spell. However, her recollections are hazy and incoherent. Ben decides to try something. While learning Tai Chi, he learned some meditation techniques to help the mind rebuild fractured memories. Reluctantly, Beverly goes along with it, as she is the only one who would likely have the best answers they need.
With Ben’s help, Beverly falls into a deep trance. She walks through and witnesses her memories like an unseen Ghost wandering the streets. She recalls the moment Pennywise hypnotized her with his three glowing orbs floating inside his large and sharp-toothed mouth. Suddenly, Beverly is floating in space. She sees precise yet quick flashes of Pennywise’s history. His landing on Earth during the time of the Dinosaurs. The many shapes he has assumed throughout his existence, how he came to prefer Pennywise's persona as his favorite, because of how easy it was to lure children - not to mention the superior taste of their fear.
After Beverly gives the rest of the gang a quick rundown of her visions, depicted in the film as a jump-cut since we have already seen her sights, the group has a bit of trouble taking in the weight of what they’re facing. In particular, Eddie returns to his room to relieve some of his stress by washing his hands and face. Shortly after Eddie gets inside his bathroom, he turns around to find Henry in the bathroom with him. Before Eddie can muster a sound, Henry stabs Eddie across his mouth through both cheeks. After a few more cuts and a quick scuffle, Eddie gets the upper hand and Shoves Henry out the window. Ben, who came down to check on Eddie, finds him huddled on the bathroom floor. Ben then looks out the broken window and sees Henry walking away toward his car. Ben also notices a Red Balloon floating just above the vehicle.
Suddenly, Ben has a quick flashback to Henry's cut up as a kid. He remembers the car passing by, apparently ignoring his situation. He then recalls seeing the same Red Balloon floating inside the rear window. From there, Ben puts two and two together.
Ben realizes how much influence Pennywise has had over the entire town all along. He tells his friends as such. They all recall similar instances where they didn’t understand the behavior of the adults at the time. Eddie then recalls the weird TV show his mom used to watch, where some random woman would tell kids how much fun it is to play in the Sewers. The same program that told Henry to “kill them all!”.
Mike realizes that with Pennywise’s influence over the town, he most likely won’t get any assistance from the rest of the police force, let alone any city officials. They’re all going to have to face Pennywise alone…again. Only this time, they will be more prepared. Mike asks Billy to come with him to the Police Station. They’re going to “borrow” some weapons and tactical gear for their showdown, and he needs another set of hands to help collect them all. Stanley goes out to the pharmacy to get some medical supplies for Eddie while the others stay behind to tend to Eddie’s injuries, in whatever way they are able.
As Mike and Billy head out the door of the Hotel, they run into a young boy. Let’s name him Jackson, a reference to the young actor Jackson Robert Scott who played Georgie. From their encounter, we learn that Jackson is a young boy Mike is helping to take through a Big Brother mentoring program. Jackson takes a liking to Billy, recognizing him as one of his favorite writers. He asks for his autograph, and Billy inclines. Somehow, Jackson reminds Billy of his little brother. Mike advises Jackson to stay safe as he and Billy ride off in Mike’s car.
Richie is tending to Eddie’s wounds with some vodka he finds in the mini-fridge back inside the hotel suite. The two of them start connecting in a way they haven’t before. Richie reminisces about a time he thought someone was flirting with him at the arcade as a kid. Except, he read the signals wrong and was pushed away by the other person. Eddie assumes it was a girl, only for Richie to confess that it was a boy. Eddie takes a moment - he has no idea how he should respond. Then, Eddie is about to say something, then Beverly comes back in with some more towels.
Stanley makes his way to the pharmacy, collecting medical gear. While there, he notices a Red Balloon at the other end of the aisle. Stanley reminds himself that it’s not real and goes about completing his task. After paying for his goods, he turns to see the Red Balloon floating by the pharmacy entrance. A moment later, another customer, who doesn’t see the Red Balloon, enters through the door, as the Red Balloon floats its way outside. Relieved, Stanley walks out. Only now, he has somehow magically transported from Derry, Maine, to Nazi-occupied Germany. He looks around and is shocked to see a Star of David stitched on his jacket. A group of Nazi soldiers see him and begin chasing him. Stanley runs away as the Nazis start shooting at him. Stanley turns a corner and finds himself outside Auschwitz. He hears screams and the sound of gas running. Suddenly, a blinding light burst from behind him. Stanley turns and sees a speeding train with Pennywise riding the very front coming right towards him. Stanley ducks in terror. Suddenly, the vision is gone, and Stanley finds himself standing in the middle of the road. A set of car headlights flashes at Stanley as the driver yells at him to move.
Mike and Billy have made it to the Police Station Armory. The two of them are stuffing duffle bags of weapons, ammo, and grenades, along with body armor and riot shields. The two of them discuss with each other if they think they can kill Pennywise this time. Since they hurt him the first time, maybe if they keep going, they’ll kill him. Except, considering how old Pennywise is and that he’s not of this Earth, it seems more likely that they can’t kill him. If so, what will they do then? They can’t come back in another twenty-seven years to take him down again. They decide not to think about that right now and head back to the Hotel with their arsenal.
We then cut to a local Baseball game. A little girl with an unusual birthmark on her face sits in the bleachers watching the game with one of her friends. A moment later, the birthmark girl sees what looks like a Firefly buzzing around her. She follows it, almost hypnotized by its glow. The Firefly seems to be leading the birthmark girl under the bleachers. Deep inside, she stumbles upon Pennywise, who charms her with his usual tactics of appearing child friendly and mystical. They have a little conversation with each other. A moment later, the friend notices that she’s missing and gets up to look for her. Pennywise is pretending to sympathize with the birthmark girl and lures her closer. Then, right now, Pennywise lunges at the girl with his many sharp jaws; the girl’s friend finds the spot and witnesses Pennywise eating the girl. Terrified, the friend runs away.
The next day, Mike gives the rest of The Losers Club a crash course in weapons, shooting at bottles and paper targets in a remote area outside of town. Stanley respectfully declines, preferring to practice with his sword. At Mikes’s insistence, Stanley does, at the very least, take a small revolver, just in case. While everyone is training, they make small talk. Eventually, the conversation leans towards rather or not, they can kill Pennywise. They deduce that since they seriously hurt him the last time, he has to die if they hit him harder and keep going at it for long enough. At least, that’s the hope.
The Losers Club heads back into town to get something to eat. After dinner, they overhear some kids heading to the town fair. Mike is surprised at first, considering the murder he already checked out there, thinking it should stay closed since it’s a crime scene. Then, he remembers when they figured out Pennywise’s influence over the town. Suddenly, Mike has a terrifying realization. He never told Jackson to avoid the fair because he thought it was still closed. Mike runs off to the festival, as Billy follows. They say to the rest of the gang to meet them back at the Hotel.
The fair is alive as if nothing terrible had happened. Kids are laughing and enjoying themselves. Mike and Billy arrive desperately, trying to find Jackson. Eventually, Mike and Billy see Jackson entering the haunted maze. Billy goes after Jackson while Mike finds whoever is in charge, hoping to use his police influence to shut down the fair again. Billy runs through the maze, searching for Jackson. As Billy goes deeper inside, he eventually sees Jackson. He runs straight for him but runs directly into a glass wall. Suddenly, Pennywise is there and surprises Jackson with his Deadlights, placing Jackson in a catatonic state. Billy tries his best to break through the glass and rescue Jackson, but it’s no use. Billy can only watch as Pennywise doesn’t kill Jackson but takes him along as they vanish into the shadows.
Mike is arguing with the fair manager, reminding him of the murder that happened not too long ago. The manager informs Mike of the Mayor’s orders to clean and reopen the fair for the sake of the town’s revenue. Disgusted, Mike insists that the manager close the festival, or he’ll have him arrested for obstruction of justice and altering a crime scene. Before the conversation can go any further, Billy reunites with Mike and informs him of Jackson’s disappearance. Mike is beside himself, but Billy reminds him that Jackson is likely not dead yet. They can still save him.
Mike and Billy return to the Hotel. Mike tells everyone to gear up, proclaiming, “It’s the time!” Everyone takes up their weapons. Eddie picks up a few grenades. They all head down the street towards the old house Avengers-style.
Jackson wakes up inside Pennywise’s lair. Jackson is scared out of his mind. Suddenly, Jackson can hear a voice. It sounds like his father. Confused and terrified, he runs towards the distant sounds. Jackson progresses deeper and deeper into the pit, still hearing his father’s voice.
The Losers Club make their way into the sewers where they confronted Pennywise before. Mike leaves glow sticks marking their path. Suddenly, they hear Jackson’s voice and start following it. Mike continues to mark the trail with glow sticks.
Jackson finds himself in the deepest point of the hole. There he finds unusual rock formations. Seemingly non-euclidean. Suddenly, Jackson sees his father standing before him. His father begins ranting about how his death was his fault. Jackson steps back in total terror as the vision of his father morphs into Pennywise. Jackson leans against a rock wall as Pennywise opens his sizeable fanged mouth, revealing his Dead Lights. Jackson falls into a trance; his eyes are void, and his face expressionless. Pennywise is about to go in for the killing bite. Suddenly, Pennywise gets shot in the back by a shotgun blast from Mike. The Losers Club has arrived. Pennywise runs off into the shadows. Mike goes to check on Jackson while the others give chase.
Pennywise toys with the others with his usual scary shenanigans, trying to separate the group.
Mike holds Jackson in his arms. Mike tells Jackson how much he cares about him and that his father’s death was not his fault. This show of affection reawakens Jackson from his catatonic state. Mike gives Jackson a retractable metal baton and instructs him to make his way to the surface by following the glow sticks. Jackson is afraid to leave Mike behind, but Mike insists that he get himself to safety. Reluctantly, Jackson does as he’s told and runs away.
Pennywise faces off against The Losers Club, morphing into all kinds of monsters and inhuman shapes. All the while getting shot at and occasionally stabbed or slashed by Stanley. Although none of The Losers Club, save for Mike, has had any real formal training in weapons or combat, they seem to be handling themselves reasonably well. Even so, Pennywise is not going down smoothly.
Jackson is making his way through the tunnels. Soon, he finds his way to the exit. Before he leaves, he turns back to where he just came from and thinks.
Eventually, the whole gang meets up back at the center of the cave. Pennywise is still toying with them all, darting here and there, constantly changing shape. The Losers Club runs out of ammo, and they can’t tell if they’re making a dent. Suddenly, Pennywise surprises them with a sudden burst of Red Balloons floating everywhere, obscuring their sight. Without warning, Pennywise gets the upper hand and grabs Billy from behind, holding him tightly in front of him while on a small mound. Pennywise tells the others to drop their “toys,” as he wraps his claws around Billy’s neck. Reluctantly, they do so. Pennywise gives a little speech about how much he missed them and thought of nothing but his revenge—claiming that they can never kill him. He is too old and powerful for anything to destroy him, and as long as the children of the surface continue to fear him, he will always have power. He is claiming that they are all weak and useless to do anything about him. Suddenly, Pennywise is violently struck from behind, causing Pennywise to release his grip on Billy. As Pennywise fumbles, we see that Jackson is the one who hit him.
Jackson confronts Pennywise as he morphs into the shape of his dead father. The Losers Club pick up their weapons and aim. Pennywise tries to get inside Jackson’s head, but Jackson stands his ground and beats the ever-loving crap out of Pennywise. With one massive blow, Pennywise falls forward, rolling down the mound. The Losers Club open fires, unleashing every last bullet. Pennywise lays before them, weak and broken. Everyone looks on as they try to determine if they’ve won. Eddie starts proclaiming how badass they still are and how much Pennywise sucks.
All of a sudden, Henry pops out of the shadows and stabs Eddie in the gut. Eddie falls back as blood spills out from his belly. Henry starts swinging away at The Losers Club, who are now completely out of ammo. Jackson hides from the chaos, a little scared again. The group tries to find an opening to take Henry down. Richie goes straight for Eddie and drags him away from the madness, trying his best to help him. Pennywise seems to be absorbing the sudden burst of fear from Henry’s wildness. Feeding on the alarm, Pennywise slowly grows into a near-giant creature. NOT LIKE A SPIDER!!! His head opens wide, revealing his many sharp teeth and glowing Dead Lights, his arms change into long spiky bending talons like a Praying Mantis, and his legs grow longer and bulkier. He has become a Tank of a monster.
As the Losers Club scuffle about evading Henry’s advances, Pennywise grabs Henry and holds him up. Pennywise proclaims he doesn’t need him anymore as he bites off the top half of his body. The Losers Club have now collectively lost their shit again. Pennywise feeds off their fear even more.
Richie looks on as he stays right by Eddie, still weak from the stab wound. Eddie tells Richie that he loves him and that he is sorry. Eddie pushes Richie aside as he goes straight up to Pennywise, trying to get his attention. Pennywise sees Eddie and picks him up, ready to take another bite. But Eddie has a surprise, as he reveals a handful of grenades without their pins. Eddie drops them down Pennywise’s throat, and a few seconds later, they explode. The rest of The Losers Club had found cover before the blast and were lucky to have survived. When the dust clears, The Losers Club sees Pennywise on the ground - blown to pieces with only his head, chest, and one of his arms still somewhat attached as the rest of his physical form is slowly chipping away into the air.
Pennywise seems incredibly afraid this time. The Losers Club, along with Jackson, circle Pennywise, proclaiming how unafraid they are. Without any hesitation, Stanley takes out his sword and cuts off Pennywise’s arm. Then he stabs Pennywise in the chest a few times. After a few strikes, Pennywise proclaims that they will still never kill him. Stanley retorts by saying they don’t need to kill him. Because they will continue their work by preparing and training the next generation of kids and ensure they pass it on to every future generation until, eventually, Pennywise will be afraid of the kids. Then, with one final burst of strength, Stanley cuts off Pennywise’s head with the sword. Pennywise’s head, along with the rest of his body, fades away into dust. His pure form, the three Dead Lights, floats into the center of the cave and forms themselves into a cocoon.
Silence.
Jackson dashes toward Mike and hugs him. The rest of The Losers Club join in for a group hug. Soon, they make their way outside and to the lake where they went swimming as children. Jackson joins them, becoming the first new member of The Losers Club.
Montage:
The Losers Club celebrates their victory at the Chinese restaurant once again, as they also mourn Eddie's loss while remembering his bravery. Soon, they all return to their lives.
Sometime later, Jackson is at school. The day has ended, and everyone is heading home. As Jackson walks down the school hall, he sees one of his classmates crying in the corner. He goes over to see if he can help. We discover that the little girl is the friend who was killed by Pennywise under the bleachers. The girl tells Jackson how she tried to tell someone and get help, but no one would listen or believe her. Jackson knows just what to do. He takes the girl with him to see Mike. Jackson explains that she has something to tell him and that he may have found another potential member for The Losers Club.
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