IT Chapters 1 & 2 Cut The Best Part Of Richie’s Pennywise Battle

In Stephen King’s IT, Pennywise the Clown has the ability to shape-shift into what his victims fear most, but the two recent films cut one of his best transformations: Richie’s werewolf. First published in 1986, IT follows a group of seven friends (the self-proclaimed “Loser’s Club”), as they fight against a demonic force that feeds off the fear of the residents of Derry, Maine. As both children and adults, The Loser’s Club are forced to confront their deepest fears, but for Richie, this changes drastically from the IT book to IT (2017) and IT: Chapter Two.

Nicknamed “Trashmouth“, Richie is the most lighthearted member of the Losers, often cracking loud and inappropriate jokes even in the most horrifying situations. In IT, Richie (played by Finn Wolfhard) admits to his friends that he’s terrified of clowns, which is coincidentally the default form that Pennywise takes on. However, in both the book and the 1990 miniseries, his greatest fear is a werewolf, and cutting this from his battle with Pennywise was a mistake.

While it may not have been as terrifying as Bill’s disturbing visions of Georgie or as gruesome as Beverly’s bathroom of blood, the werewolf would have represented Richie’s true fear, of a man becoming a monster. One of the biggest changes made from book to movie was making Richie gay, a decision that was both praised due to Bill Hader’s performance, and criticized due to being underdeveloped. IT: Chapter Two briefly touches on the internalized prejudices that Richie developed from growing up in a bigoted town in the 1980s, but these moments felt rushed. Tying these more psychological and personal fears in with a more predictable one from the very beginning would have made the events of IT: Chapter Two feel more organic, without changing anything major from the first movie. Presenting it as a childish fear in IT before exploring the deeper meaning of it in IT: Chapter Two would have been an interesting direction for the films to go in, and would have given Richie’s arc a bigger impact. Although this would have added another layer of tragedy to his character, it would have been a compelling twist on the original story, while fixing some of the failures of IT: Chapter Two.

Keeping Richie’s werewolf would have also given the films further opportunity to explore Pennywise’s abilities, instead of limiting him to his default form. Pennywise appears to the other Losers in a variety of creative ways, bringing their childlike fears to life or forcing them to relive traumatic events. The films were able to successfully bring these horrors to the screen, and it was more thrilling for viewers, who could anticipate not only when Pennywise would appear, but what form he would take. This element of intrigue is lost with Richie in IT and IT: Chapter Two, as audiences know what to expect. The mystery and creativity surrounding his powers are what made Pennywise’s confrontations with the rest of the Loser’s Club so chilling, and including Richie’s werewolf would have helped his scenes maintain this tone.

While IT and IT: Chapter Two are strong adaptions of one of Stephen King’s most popular works, they made a mistake in cutting a certain element from the book. Having Richie Tozier battle a werewolf would have maintained that balance of horror and comedy that the films rely on, while simultaneously being a tool to further explore Richie’s complicated relationship with his own sexuality. Although Richie’s character journey is one of the highlights of the movies, keeping his original fear was a small thing that could have made his moments even more memorable.

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