Even more evil clown action!
It was definitely one of the most talked about movies of 2017, with whispers of some incredibly dark deleted scenes including a flashback of Pennywise forcing a mother to allow him to eat her newborn baby. (No, we’re not kidding.)
With the movie finally arriving on DVD and Blu-Ray, we sat down to check out those deleted scenes, and you’ll be happy to hear that no such baby-eating scene exists.
There are however some other great additions, and one that is just plain weird…
11. Georgie gets the boat
The now-infamous opening scene which introduces us to the sewer-bound Pennywise has a completely different ending, one which would effectively end the movie about 5 minutes after it started. It is pretty funny (“Awh, shit!”), but then we wouldn’t have gotten any of the greatness that followed.
The people who made IT (2017) actually made a joke version of the Pennywise/Georgie scene. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a film doing a joke version of a scene and actually keeping it as a deleted scene. pic.twitter.com/RQhoHhFwiU
— Michael Edwards (@MEdwardsVA) January 15, 2018
10. Losers find Georgie’s walkie-talkie
Right after they all head down to the sewers at the start of the movie’s finale, we see the Losers find Georgie’s old walkie-talkie. And that’s it. Not exactly a revelation, but also it isn’t fully clear why they cut it out of the movie, since it adds maybe 3 extra seconds of running time.
9. Outside Neibolt’s house
Before heading in for their first major group encounter with Pennywise, right after they had all pulled the short straw, we see those left outside are too scared to go in. It was a nice little addition to the sense of dread that the kids were feeling, and would have added to the overall triumph of them overcoming that fear to save their friends.
8. Evacuating Neibolt’s house
Having shoved a poker through Pennywise’s face and barely escaping with their lives, we see a short scene of them all running from the house, putting their injured friend in the bike basket like ET, and tearing off down the street.
7. Stanley’s Dad watching over him
As Stanley is prepping for his bar mitzah, we see that his Dad is in the background, watching over him and making sure he doesn’t make any mistakes. By itself, it doesn’t make much odds, except when added with another deleted scene that arrives later on…
6. Eddie at Keene’s pharmacy
A longer version of the scene featuring Eddie collecting his medication, and a longer conversation with Mr. Keene’s daughter who talks about placebos and points out that Eddie’s cast has no signatures on it, which means he has no friends. She then gets up and actively bullies him, feeding further fuel to the idea that everyone in Derry becomes a bit of an apathetic dick once they reach a certain age…
5. Denbrough family dinner
Bill is having dinner with his parents and talking about potentially taking a holiday, when the mother throws the dishes in the sink and storms out. “Sorry champ”, Bill’s Dad says, before taking away Bill’s unfinished dinner and putting it in the sink, “but Georgie loved those holidays.” Once his Dad leaves, we hear Bill reply “Me too.” Georgie’s death has left the family in ruin, one that has essentially overcast Bill’s entire existence in the eyes of his parents.
4. Henry and the bullies wait outside
Just as the Losers are heading into the house in the final act, we see that Henry is already outside waiting. And in case anyone was wondering where his bully buddies were, we see that Henry has managed to slit both of their throats. It helps really sell Henry’s decent into insanity, but it was also a bit overkill-y (no pun intended) to have him literally killing everyone who was unfortunate enough to be in his company.
Clip via YDK Marshall
3. Stanley’s bar mitzah speech
Having nailed his becoming-a-man speech, Stanley is then given the mic to make a little speech about his cusping manhood. Instead he uses the opportunity to call out the apathetic nature of Derry, really spotlighting a subtext subplot that the townsfolk are merely grazing cattle, allowing terrible things to happen to them and their loved ones without really blinking an eye. It is a real air-punch moment, topped off with a great joke.
2. Bill’s Dad looks in the basement
Remember that scene where Bill finds Georgie in the basement, only for a rampaging Pennywise to come out of the water and barely missing snacking on the lad? Well, this picks up right after that, with Bill’s Dad wanting to know what all the fuss is about, and going down to the basement to investigate. Off-screen, we hear the Dad wading through the water, and then we hear someone slowly stomping back up the stairs…
1. Denbrough family vacation
After that talk in the kitchen, and the curse of Pennywise lifted from the town, Bill finally gets to go on a new vacation with his parents, where they can make new memories. We see them packing up the car and driving down the street, and the camera pans towards that drain from the vicious opening scene, and it starts to rain, drops hitting the metal shore, and we can hear something down there…
And on an unrelated note, IT: Chapter 2 is due to arrive in cinemas in 2019.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
