Random Horrifying Things That Happened In Book 'IT' Way Too Awful for Movies (10 items)

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  (#5) In The Book, The Kids Get High In Order To Understand Pennywise

  Rightfully left out for numerous reasons, not least of which is children on hallucinogens and cultural appropriation galore, in the book the Losers Club kids try to gain insight into their foe by getting high. Ben does some research and learns about Native American spirit quests where tribal people would smoke until they hallucinate and are shown visions. The kids build a smoke hole and all but Richie and Mike pass out from all the fumes. 

  They are, however, successful in discovering that Pennywise is actually an ancient creature feeding off of Derry. The movie shows the kids getting to know Pennywise on a less, uh, deep level.
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  (#4) Beverly Marsh Becomes A Damsel In Distress In The Film

  Beverly Marsh’s film portrayal was pretty accurate to her book character. She had to deal with bullies from school, which was mentioned in the novel, but seemed to go a bit more in depth in the film. She also had to deal with her creepy, perverted father in both the book and film.

  One of the drastic changes that the film made regarding Marsh’s character was her getting kidnapped by Pennywise. In the book, Marsh was brave and never was a "damsel in distress." However, in the film, she gets taken by It and needs the boys to rescue her. She even has to receive a kiss to wake up, which really takes away from the feminine strength seen throughout the film up until that point. 
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  (#3) The Controversial Sex Scene Is Nowhere To Be Found In The Film

  There's a rather controversial chapter toward the end of the book where the group of 11-year-old kids participate in an orgy of sorts. The scene is led by the only female in the group, Beverly Marsh. An argument broke out amongst the group of kids, and Marsh realized that It was using his powers to cause the group to fight. She rationalized that the only way to unify the group was to have sex with each of her six friends.

  Thankfully, this scene was not included in the movie. The filmmakers decided to just stick with the kids making a blood oath. Of course, a blood pact was made in the book as well, but the filmmakers thought the oath alone was enough.
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  (#9) The Different Timeline From The Books Means Pennywise Will Visit Modern America In Part 2

  In the movie It, the timeline is linear with the story being driven by characters who are children. There are no flashbacks into time and the movie takes place in the present. In the book, the story focuses on the characters as adults in the 1980s, with flashbacks to the 1950s when they were children and dealing with It.

  Thus, one of the most noticeable differences between the novel and the movie is the decades in which they take place. The book takes place between '57 and '58, and the movie takes place in '88 and '89. This decade change is sure to help the characters seem more relatable amongst a newer generation of fans. There are a few '80s references thrown in for good measure in the 2017 film adaptation, including New Kids on the Block, Street Fighter, and Gremlins.

  All in all this means that Part 2 will take place in our modern timeline, making it all the more horrifying to see Pennywise in today's world.
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  (#8) The Racial Tension Was Removed In The Film

  In the book, racial tension is prevalent - especially between Mike Hanlon’s and Henry Bowers’s families. The ongoing feud between these two families went on for an at least one generation in the book. Henry’s father, Oscar “Butch” Bowers, would often call William Hanlon racial slurs. He even graffitied the Hanlon house with a swastika and killed all of their chickens. Hanlon retaliated by threatening Butch with a gun, which seemed to make Bowers leave him alone. All of this was left out of the film.
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  (#7) Mike Hanlon's Parents Are Alive In The Book, But Dead In The Movie

  In the book, Mike Hanlon learns a lot about the town of Derry from his father, who was dying from cancer. Hanlon also learns about It from his father. In the 2017 movie, you never meet Mike's father because both his parents died in a house fire. Mike lives with his grandfather on a farm, who is a hardened, tough love kind of guy.

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