IT ~ Lost in Adaptation

[@juliastrawn2113]

"She wanted to force the group to symbolically become adults through adult actions." .....was paying taxes not an option?

[@nomisunrider6472]

Teenagers can have sex. The real mark of adulthood is realizing that being a responsible adult (dishes, grocery, appointments, bedtime, etc) sucks but forcing yourself to do it anyway.

[@juliastrawn2113]

@@nomisunrider6472 I agree with everything...except they weren't teenagers. they were all 11 years old in that section.

[@nomisunrider6472]

@@juliastrawn2113 Oh I didn’t mean that the kids in the book were teenagers. I was just using the fact that teenagers have sex as proof that sex does not make you an adult.

[@juliastrawn2113]

@@nomisunrider6472 Oh, sorry about that!

[@osmanyousif7849]

You see if this was the 80s, like the 2017 movie, they could just rap to a bunch of swear songs… That’s pretty adult.

[@samlerf]

I like how the sketch implies the director made it all the way to filming before skipping the se'x scene.

[@thefanwithoutaface8105]

Pretty confident the directors from day one had to write out in big letters "We are NOT Doing that Scene, so don't ask!"

[@tardistime6857]

Wtf was king thinking

[@thefanwithoutaface8105]

@@tardistime6857 Dude was on cocaine, booze and probably a lot of other shit. I doubt the guy was anything close to sober when he wrote it.

[@antonakesson]

@@tardistime6857 I believe he was very high on cocaine during these years XD

[@thefanwithoutaface8105]

@@tardistime6857 Probably "Should I mix Cocaine with Jack Daniels."

[@limbobilbo8743]

One of the funniest things with this film and its sequel is how skarsgard acted off camera in part to make sure he didnt freak out the younger actors. Theres a very funny clip of him walking into the set for the final battle saying “alright whos ready to beat the shit out of me”

[@OligarchMartial]

Where can I find this clip?

[@limbobilbo8743]

@@OligarchMartial i saw it originally in the dead meat video on it chapter 2

[@CelticGuardian7]

That's great, I hope I can see that clip sometime. XD

[@Awakeandalive1]

Boris Karloff did the same thing to ensure the little girl his character was supposed to drown wasn't actually scared of him in his monster makeup.

[@KeplersDream]

When Skarsgård does the eyes thing, it always makes me feel like Pennywise is just the shape of a clown worn by an entity that doesn't _need_ eyes to see you. It adds a whole layer of creepiness to the character.

[@lasseehrenreich5502]

I have a friend at school who could do the same thing with his eyes

[@pancakes8670]

Agreed, that's what it feels like. He doesn't need eyes to be looking directly at you.

[@jonathanappling9248]

Are you being sardonic? Pennywise IS ‘just the shape of a clown worn by an entity’ didnt you ever read the books or anything by SK?

[@krampus7520]

@@jonathanappling9248 ngl IT is a fucking HUGE book (i read the whole thing) that you dont necessarily have to read to have a full life, and therefore you probably shouldnt waste your time on if you're not interested in reading it.

[@rhyspatterson679]

I feel one correction is important. In the book Pennywise turns into a giant crow and attacks Mike as a kid. However its not because Mike's dad telling him a story about the bird at least not the version i read in the early 90's. This part always stuck with me. King wrote spefically that even Mike didnt know why IT came at him as bird. It was because as an infant in crib outside a crow perched on the edge of the crib and started pecking at him as a baby. King said that the trauma of the incident left a fear of birds so deep in Mike even Mike himself was not aware of it. But Pennywise saw it easily and as the best way to make him afraid. That made IT so much scarier to me because it would know a persons fears better than they did.

[@J.DeLaPoer]

Uh what? I've read IT at least 6 times over the decades and listened to the (unabridged) audiobook more than that. One of my favorite books. There is, to my memory, *nothing* about a crow or any bird attacking Mike in the crib as an infant. The only crib thing I recall is Patrick Hockstetter killing his baby brother. Anyway in the book, It appears as a giant bird twice: First to preteen Mike when he explores the ruins of the Kitchener Ironworks (then the bird is specifically described, and I quote, _"reddish orange"_ and _"a sort of mix between a sparrow and a robin, the two most common birds"._ Not a crow. Mike does know exactly why too: It Itself literally speaks directly to Mike (via Stan's severed head) and says he use the bird to target Mike because of Mike's fear of old Japanese horror movies where the giant Roc bird attacks Tokyo: I quote It Itself here: _"How about that bird Mikey? Just a sparrow but say-hey, it was a lu-lu wasn't it? Big as a house, big as those silly Japanese movie monsters that used to terrify you when you were a kid..."_ We know that's true because there's a couple paragraphs where Mike thinks back to seeing those movies when the old Ironworks start to creep him out ; and he wonders if there might be a Roc building a nest in the cellar hole. It picks up on that fear, and sure enough when Mike looks into the cellar, the giant It-bird is there. Second -- though technically first in the timeline -- it appears to Mike's father when his father was young. When Mike's dad is dying in the hospital he tells Mike the story of the fire at the Black Spot -- his father tells Mike that the very end of that event he sees a giant Roc-like bird fly over the burning building and snatch up some of the Legion members in its claws; except (and I quote) _"...except it didn't fly, it floated; with big bunches of balloons tied to its wings"._ The giant bird at the Black Spot is also described as being something like a robin/sparrow. Not a crow. That story also scares and traumatizes Mike, both due to the horrible tragedy of the fire itself but also because of his existing fear of birds from the movies... which is also why It appears to him as one. It's like It continuing some kind of legacy appearing to both his father and Mike himself in that form. There is no _crow_ or black bird of any kind though, the birds are described as identical in form and reddish color, and there's literally nothing about Mike being attacked in the crib anywhere by anything unless I'm having one hell of a memory lapse. Maybe King himself said what you claim in an interview or something. If so I haven't heard it; but in any case that directly contradicts what's explicitly stated and described in the book. Maybe you're confusing the book with something from the old miniseries/movie? No idea but it's not in the book and there is only one version of IT. King never released either an abridged nor an extended version like he did with The Stand.

[@rhyspatterson679]

@ okay I found this on the Stephen king wiki under Mike Hanlon’s page, it the second paragraph down. Mike encounters a giant, prehistoric-like bird when exploring the Kitchner Ironworks. He hides in a smokestack until the bird goes away. IT reveals that Mike is afraid of this form from a very early memory of a crow pecking him when he was only 6 months old.[1]

[@J.DeLaPoer]

@@rhyspatterson679 Fair enough if it's on the official wiki. I need to check the reference though and reread Chapter 21, as I'm about 99% certain nothing about that is in the book itself. The Wiki supports you... But that makes no sense to me. Not only because I have no memory of that, but because It appears as a giant sparrow/robin and not a crow and it's specifically claimed Mike's fear comes from the old monster movies. That's confirmed by Mike himself, by the narrator, and later again when It and Mike talk. Nothing about crows/crib incident is mentioned, but the movies are multiple times. I quoted that verbatim from the book. The bird is always described as a sparrow/robin cross that's red colored, as I quoted verbatim also. I'm not clear on why It appears as the same bird to Mike's father long before Mike is born, and it's never explained. I'll reread and repost..

[@rhyspatterson679]

@ people have talked about it sort being a legacy between Mike and his dad seeing the same kind of bird. I’m almost postitive the crow thing was told to the audience by pennywise. I may be inferring more importance to the crow then was intended. It’s also probably good to remember that this was King’s peak cocaine addiction days and he may have changed his mind about things as he wrote stuff. There was a lot of themes of legacy or heritage especially when it comes to hardships in IT and given the repetion of the sparrow stuff that may be more in line with his intent and the the crow was just a brief insight into the depths of Pennywises powers. He says several times during his attacks on kids that adults have more complex and abstract fires and children have more simple primal ones and those are not only easier to make use of but are more to It’s tastes. I have some phobias but I don’t know why I have them I don’t have any concious memory of incidents that would cause my fear of holes. The idea that Pennywise would know just freaks me out. That’s were my strong feelings for the crow incident comes from

[@spiderwe8s]

"When he was a baby only six months old, his mother had left him sleeping in his cradle in the side yard while she went around back to hang sheets and diapers on the line. His screams had brought her on the run. A large crow had lighted on the edge of the carriage and was pecking at baby Mikey like an evil creature in a nursery tale. He had been screaming in pain and terror, unable to drive away the crow, which had sensed weak prey. She had struck the bird with her fist and driven it off, seen that it had brought blood in two places on baby Mikey's arms, and taken him to Dr. Stillwagon for a tetanus shot. A part of Mike had remembered that always--tiny baby, giant bird--and when it came to Mike, Mike had seen the giant bird again."

[@lern2reed]

“Black Character” written on a piece of paper and stabled on a shirt is my new Halloween costume. Thanks, The Dom.

[@wolfkniteX]

I can't tell if this would count as blackface, whitewashing, both or neither. 🤣😅

[@nicholasfarrell5981]

​@@wolfkniteXSchrödinger's Colorblind Casting?

[@1missbridget]

I guess it's better than blackface lol

[@lanskandal1181]

@@wolfkniteX I think you're assuming this commenter is white

[@wolfkniteX]

@@lanskandal1181 I'm talking about Dom literally wearing a sign that says "Black Character". That I'm absolutely not making any assumptions on.

[@winddancer613]

Fun fact: part of this film was shot at the university I went to, which I found out by repeatedly walking into areas labelled, “It, Pt 2,” and wondering why the I.T. Dept would have needed this spot of grass until someone asked if we might run into Finn Wolfhard.

[@kodabuck225]

lmao thats hilarius and amazing

[@crypticcryptid4702]

I made the same mistake XD. I originally thought that the book was a book on I.T. when I saw it in the library. It was only when I saw someone reading it when I realised that it was the book part of the new movie release

[@DaleyKreations]

@@winddancer613 LOL. (As an Ontarian is that where your 613 comes from?)

[@winddancer613]

@@DaleyKreations nope, it’s a completely random number haha

[@cauzie8281]

Honestly that would be my thought lol

[@Matrim42]

I’d argue Stan wasn’t book accurate. They took a kid whose family didn’t even keep kosher and made him the Rabbi’s son. Part of the trauma he had was that he was constantly targeted for being Jewish when he wasn’t even entirely sure what that meant to him.

[@razycrandomgirl]

I agree but it was way worse with Mike. They tore strip from his character and gave them to Ben "the new kid on the block" Then made it seem like Mike was only being bullied for being "home schooled". It very much comes off like "we don't see color" except they hint at it by first killing off Mike's parents then calling them "crackheads". What they do to Mike in chapter 2 is also egregious. Smh. The mini series did it better imo. It was at least more honest and less afraid. They totally left out Stanley being a scout and now I can't remember it that was only in the mini series or also in the book.

[@Matrim42]

@@razycrandomgirl of course it was worse with Mike, but that was addressed in the video. Stan largely wasn’t.

[@runningcommentary2125]

Don't forget the fifty or so pages of his wife going shopping and her um, bodily response to wondering if people are making antisemitic comments about her behind her back.

[@dustensexton5030]

Bev's part is just as inaccurate but in less "bad" ways. In the move she steals lines and actions from the other loser's frequently giving her a lot more of a leader roll than she had in the book. While simultaneously, making her more of a "damsel in distress" by having her kidnaps and rescued by the boys. It was such a weird choice IMO.

[@jostockton.]

@@dustensexton5030 well, no, besides how they fully made her a damsel for no reason as well as a sex object for the boys to lust after. definitely worse.

[@SamLovesMovies25]

Personally, I really didn't like in part 1 how Beverly got captured and they just turned her into a "damsel in distress". In the book, she was with the others fighting by their side.

[@MyFireElf]

Right? It was so tired. If they had to do it how much better would it have been if Bill had been taken, and the rest of them had to choose to come together without their leader.

[@stephaniewilliams6756]

I know he was intoxicated but the World Turtle isnt actually that weird or unique an idea. Its actually basically a primordial human belief. King probably doesnt even remember doing research but I am sure he did.

[@dana8503]

Yeah. I always got the impression he was basing it mythological stories. He touches on that in a lot if his novels. Even more recently and it's strange, but I didn't hate it.

[@lastlife0726]

King probably doesn't even remember doing research because the turtle came to him in a vision, obviously.

[@MoffMuppet]

I'm less baffled by the scene (you KNOW which one) being written, and more that apparently no editor or publisher read through the story and said "Stephen, could we maybe get a second draft? We're not sure about that whole gangbang business."

[@samuelbarber6177]

They might’ve done, to which he just responded “I’m Stephen King!” And started listing all his bestsellers until they left him alone.

[@ManOutofTime913]

IT's quite possible that they were also on coke.

[@ExtremeMadnessX]

It's bigger issue that they were still children. That's just fucqed up.

[@BlakeTheDrake]

@@ManOutofTime913 That would be my assumption too. The 80's, man. King wasn't the only one riding high on Bolivian Marching-Powder back then. And certainly, anyone making 'Stephin King's Publisher' money would be able to afford PLENTY.

[@poxidog]

Imagine being the editor though. We'll assume they checked that the scene wasn't a coked up fever dream. They then go to king and say, about the preteen gang bang, can we not do Anything else? And king replies something along the lines of that quote, what it represents etc, the editors eyes glaze over, and then he says "can you think of any other way to represent all that?" And they just agree and look forward to their next fix. It was a mistake to do this sober after all

[@pridelander06]

Your description of how it's *Fear* and not *what the characters are afraid of* that make King's horror work so well is spot on. Since fear is such a universal emotion that everyone has felt at some point, it's hard not to also feel afraid when you are given such vivid descriptions of a character being afraid. Can't wait for Chapter II!

[@roecocoa]

In one of his nonfiction books (I think it was Danse Macabre but it may have been On Writing), King gives the example of trying to scare the audience with the idea of a 10-foot-tall bug. The audience is unimpressed because they immediately think, "at least it wasn't a 50-foot bug." The potential of the monster is always scarier than the monster's actual appearance.

[@alexandresobreiramartins9461]

@@roecocoa Yeah, that's one of the MANY things King didn't learn from Lovecraft.

[@kingofthegundam7974]

@@alexandresobreiramartins9461 In a good or bad way?

[@tuckershuff1441]

No Cosmic Turtle = Immeasurable Disappointment.

[@hardy83]

I mean Avatar the Last Airbender was super popular and that had a stupid god turtle thing. It CAN be done. They could've done it via a dream or when the kid goes unconcious or something. Doesn't have to be him being yeeted across space time.

[@ExtremeMadnessX]

​@@hardy83Well, the Avatar universe is already full fantasy with people who can control classic 4 elements, spirits, and chimera animals. Giant lion turtles should not feel weird in that universe.

[@yufi305]

@@hardy83 Lion Turtle dude. and it ain't stupid.

[@adamgrogory]

First no Squid in Watchmen, now no Cosmic Turtle. My day is ruined

[@ShinGallon]

@@adamgrogory Movie adaptations try too hard to be "realistic" and that's to their detriment. Embrace the fantastical elements, cowards!

[@katherinealvarez9216]

Anyone remember that one Tumblr post about how if Pennywise was in Derry Ireland, he would get the crap beat out of him by the girls because Erin lost her mom's earrings and would fight a spider demon to get them back?

[@dragonlord1861]

There’s actually a fanfic about this premise on ao3, it’s complete and it’s crazy good.

[@katherinealvarez9216]

@@dragonlord1861 what's it called?

[@Mallowolf]

@@dragonlord1861I’m gonna go look for that, thanks for the rec

[@brialangworthy3123]

Do you remember what it's called? I'd love to read it!​@@dragonlord1861

[@erin8050]

@@dragonlord1861 Link?

[@hatedcritic8066]

The kid who puts animals in an old fridge in the junk yard was not starving them to death, he was suffocating them. There was a common warning to kids in the 80's about getting caught in a fridge. It is now required to remove the doors of fridges when disposed of to prevent this. In the old days the doors had latches which could prevent the "occupant" from opening it once inside.

[@the_petty_crocker]

Gen X kids were forever scarred by a Punky Brewster episode detailing this very thing.

[@toshirodragon]

40 years later those scenes STILL haunt my nightmares.

[@tylertheguy3160]

Imagine being coked out of your mind and deep into a six pack of beer only to wake up a day later with no memory of anything that happened and to discover that you wrote an underage gangbang. Stay off drugs, kids.

[@mebii3830]

Honestly I'm a bit concerned about how nobody else felt an issue with this. King was definitely decently popular by this time. How did this get past editors, publishers, and whoever else was involved in the process. Was everyone involved just on drugs?

[@OzmaOfOzz]

I read somewhere that there's a deeper explanation about this. The kids get lost in the sewers and can't find their way back because they have childish minds. They had to become adults quickly. And what makes people grow up quickly? What breaks the barrier between childhood and adulthood? S3x. So in an attempt to grow up and get out of the sewer like adults, they just... go at it. This isn't my explanation. It's just something obscure I read a long time ago, and apparently, the guy also mentions it in the actual video. So it's not just me who heard about this strange theory

[@cyt8284]

​@@mebii3830 there's a more than zero percent chance that yes, they were all on drugs

[@tylertheguy3160]

@@mebii3830 I think a lot of it is a matter of different times. You could do a lot of things in the 80's that wouldn't fly now. That being said I wouldn't doubt that more than a few people in the chain of command were also high as a kite.

[@snowangelnc]

@@mebii3830 There's a theory that the editors looked at that stack of paper and thought, "Yeah, a thousand pages, I don't think so. We can afford to skim over some of it here and there. I mean, come on, whatever it is has got to be good. It's Stephen King."

[@Veiled_Lepidoptera]

"Oh boy, I wonder if he's gonna mention...." *Watches intro* "Welp, now that's out of the way, let's get into it!"

[@IamEscBoy]

same

[@texaskc]

Yeah, let's just pretend that we didn't read that.

[@weslleyfj]

You should know him by now

[@Rapture-nv5vj]

Yeah, same 😂

[@fleurtherabbit]

I have never read the book or watched the movie, just came for his thoughts. When I saw the first part I honest to god thought she was going to say fart...

[@shadowprincess3724]

The driving age is 16, but in a small town in the 80s, they could very well be younger and no one gives a shit lmao

[@Dominic-Noble]

Good lord, can they even see over the wheel at that age?!

[@PrincessNinja007]

​@@Dominic-Noble in small enough towns you can get a farmer's driving permit as young as 12

[@Lukecash2]

Farm kids are actually pretty damn tall. Most are running a tractor by age 11, and doing well. A car would be nothing.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

@@Lukecash2 I grew up on a farm yet I've never driven a tractor and didn't learn how to drive until I was 22 so I'm a rare exception!

[@DellikkilleD]

@@Dominic-Noble back then, driving to the store for your parents at 12 or so wasnt unusual at all.

[@Arrowdodger]

Something that I always loved about the Turtle is that, by doing what he did to Bill, to try to impress Bill with his sheer age and power and omnipresence, IT manages to actually expose the limitations of his being. He's very ancient, but he has not always been present. He's powerful, but he's not omnipotent. The Turtle is far older still. It's sort of like how Smaug, in displaying his power and size to Bilbo, actually undoes himself by showing his missing scale. IT's own insecurity and fear killed him.

[@ericwhite1942]

My biggest complaint is how they changed Mikes dad. He was my favorite charactet in the book and the parts where Mike is describing his memories with his dad on the farm are just heart warming

[@danineedsanap]

The eating the paper 😭💀

[@Jessidafennecfox]

I love that part of the intro

[@thefanwithoutaface8105]

Wouldn't you feel disgusted eating that part of the story?

[@Dormaze]

It had to be destroyed xD

[@blo0dy_valent1ne]

The way I SCREAMED when I got this notification - this is a lost in adaptation I’ve been hoping for for YEARS

[@Dominic-Noble]

Hope it didn't disappoint.

[@benny_lemon5123]

​@@Dominic-Noble Absolutely not! Great watch!

[@Thundarr100]

I felt the same way (except that I didn't scream). I hope that he also does the made for TV adaptation as well, eventually. Maybe next year? There were a few things in the 1990 version that I think were done better than the 2017 version. Both are very good, but in very different ways.

[@godrickstockwell1505]

Saaame. It is my second favorite King book. It's nice to get someone that can describe exactly why things don't translate well to film. Ignoring the metaphysical stuff, which obviously doesn't translate without looking weird AF, I've never been able to figure out WHY I wasn't scared even when things were book accurate.

[@Thundarr100]

@@godrickstockwell1505 Like in the 1990 version, where the orderly at the psychiatric hospital, Koontz, saw Pennywise as a Doberman pinscher. It wasn't all that scary, and Nostalgia Critic even thought it was supposed to be funny. In the book it works though, because we know that Koontz is deathly afraid of dogs, ESPECIALLY Dobermans.

[@Nejvyn]

"He can make ... _hedges_ scary!" Wow. A bit, ten years in the making. An epic conclusion. A relief of tension I didn't even know was still there. My body feels light. Or maybe ... empty? I don't know. I don't know what I feel.

[@sebastianevangelista4921]

It was glorious!

[@jaycievictory8461]

Can you please explain for ignorant people like me?

[@sebastianevangelista4921]

@@jaycievictory8461 He used to have the running gag of shouting "HEDGES ARE NOT SCARY!!!" that originated in his old Shining videos.

[@jaycievictory8461]

@@sebastianevangelista4921 Thank you ☺️

[@sebastianevangelista4921]

@@jaycievictory8461 Your welcome!

[@hyperios4756]

THAT scene also felt like an outright betrayal; not only is it completely out of character, but it undermines one of the craziest, most creative final battles I've ever read, followed up by such a cathartic villain kill (having the eldritch abomination literally begging for mercy, and God Himself congratulating the heroes for ripping its heart out). If it wasn't for that scene it would be among my favourite King books. Also as an aside, the Turtle isn't just planet-sized; it's UNIVERSE-sized. Otherwise great video!

[@jamesdominguez7685]

King actually wrote about how horror films struggle to capture the same kind of fear as horror books all the way back in the early eighties, in a novel-length essay called Danse Macabre. Very condensed and paraphrased, his basic thesis is that in a book you can sit right inside a character's head and witness what their own imagination is showing them, whereas a film, if it doesn't want to be criticised for being a cop-out, has to explicitly show you the monster. The example he gives is hearing a strange noise outside your door and realising there's a giant bug out there, and then the door bursts open and there's a six-foot tall bug. That's pretty scary, you think, but at least it wasn't a hundred feet tall. And if it HAD been a hundred feet tall, you'd think, that's pretty scary, but at least it wasn't a THOUSAND feet tall. It's funny how he managed to inadvertently prophesy the primary issue for filmmakers adapting his novels less than a decade after the publication of his first book.

[@hannahbul]

See the TURTLE of enormous girth! On his shell he holds the earth. His thought is slow but always kind; He holds us all within his mind.

[@johannageisel5390]

The turtle moves!

[@jpegimage-x2h]

See that TURTLE, ain't he keen? ALL THINGS FOLLOW THE F@#%ING BEAM!

[@MouseTC]

On his back all vows are made; he sees the truth but mayn't aid. He loves the land and loves the sea, and even loves a child like me.

[@sathrielsatanson666]

The turtle? There is good eatibg on one of them things, you know.

[@jonathandorton3337]

You say true. We all say thank ya.

[@whiskeyii]

🤣I love how Dom answered the question that was on everybody's mind just straight out the gate. Can't say he doesn't know us beautiful watchers!

[@lasseehrenreich5502]

a giant turtle god and the universe being created from vomit are actually both concepts of real mythology so king was simply inspired by the weirdness of previous humans

[@ManOutofTime913]

The only similar myth I remember was the Hindu one about the world being carried on the back of a turtle deity which itself rests on four giant elephants.

[@lasseehrenreich5502]

@@ManOutofTime913 I actually think it runs through several Asian cultures and I've heard some Hindus being asked What does the elephant stand on Which creates a philosophical crisis

[@berengustav7714]

Who barfed out the universe?

[@lasseehrenreich5502]

​@@berengustav7714 I can't remember anything but that god from an African myth I think Maybe He's name It's Edit actually Mbombo

[@thenexus8384]

That's what "The World on a Turtle's Back" is about, right?

[@fireflyeclipse]

I never read the book myself but hearing more about Mike’s story makes me realize how awful it was that he alone stayed in Derry all his life.

[@TelenTerror]

12:56 It's a shame they switched Mike's background from farm to butcher. Mike's dad was one of my favorite characters in the book, and he seems like the single best parent of the cast of parental figures. (Though Richie's folks also seem pretty normal.)

[@missmara4980]

"He can make HEDGES scary!" Yes yes yes! That scene sent literal shivers down my spine back when I first read it.

[@mapletree3434]

Bunny shaped ones as well! When I visualise the scene, it's ridiculous. When I remember reading it, being immersed (and not sleeping that night), I'm terrified again.

[@abadenoughdude300]

This is why I prefer horror books over movies. I get immersed af in the stuff I read so that crap is disturbing as hell while most of my horror flick escapades are either "eww" or "haha".

[@missmara4980]

@@abadenoughdude300 Agree, also a lot of horror movies think horror is gore and/or jumpscares, rather than trying something even slightly subtle.

[@abadenoughdude300]

@@missmara4980 Yep, this is why I was fascinated with Asian horror when it became a thing because unlike the goofy gore fests that was most of western horror it was far more cerebral and atmospheric. Violence may be scary but the unknown messing with your mind with is terrifying.

[@timothymclean]

@@missmara4980 Subtlety is _hard_ in a visual medium. A literary author can just use subtle, ambiguous words; making those words _effective_ is hard, but the _subtlety_ is easy. But the camera presents one objective perspective; introducing ambiguity to film requires working against _the nature of the medium itself._ It's not impossible, but it's harder than writing subtle words, and it also makes the rest of the filmmaking process harder.

[@Tadicuslegion78]

the thing about clowns is you don't need to make them look scary to be scary. That's why the Tim Curry version worked so well, he was done up to look like a clown you'd see at the circus or a fair or even a children's birthday party, they're creepy enough as that way.

[@motherplayer]

Agreed. I could actually see someone approaching Tim's version and be taken by surprise. The Andy duology does a better job at making him scary, even getting funny sometimes, but I would not believe anyone would see how that version looks and speaks and wouldn't keep away at all cost.

[@ManOutofTime913]

Except the clown form was supposed to be a positive illusion to lure the kids in so Pennywise could turn into a monster and kill them or scare them half to death.

[@Kefkaesque13]

Clowns being inherently creepy/scary is a uniquely American view. It's also a relatively modern one, with "It" itself often considered one of the major contributors to the shift in perception among the American public.

[@rencontessa2075]

Tim Curry is so afraid of clowns himself he couldn't look at himself in the mirror in the Pennywise makeup.

[@pompe221]

Which is actually sort of funny because the reason IT chooses a clown persona is to lure kids in - clowns are supposed to be fun and cheery and something children love.

[@mamatthews78]

Mike got done dirty in that movie. Why give his obsession with history to Ben?

[@razycrandomgirl]

Anti Black racism is my guess.

[@kittyythecat]

My opinion: I think it's obvious that the modern IT movie liked men more. That's why I like the 90s version. They had his love for history in that one.

[@michaelc1626]

It's cause they completely jettisoned Mike's father who was always pushing him to learn

[@thevolunteerfiredepartment816]

I hate that we still have never seen adaptations of the smoke hole scene and Bill’s psychic fight with Pennywise. Those were my favorite parts of the book.

[@BelcherKendric-vn7ke]

I read online the smoke hole scene was going to be in It Chapter Two but was too expensive to be filmed unfortunately.

[@BelcherKendric-vn7ke]

I wish the part where Pennywise became Frankenstein's monster and ripped off Belch and Victor's head happened.

[@robertbryant4669]

The movie lost me when Bill socked Richie. There's a point in the book where Richie thinks that Bill is about to hit Stan, and silently beseeches him not to. "That's Henry's way, and if you start doing things Henry's way then It will take us right now."

[@imissimeem]

This video is probably the best explanation of not only how King's works fail when converted to screen, but also of how King's work just works. As a lifetime King fan (my first book I ever bought was Salem's Lot), I couldn't agree more with everything you said.

[@Dorthyturner]

(Another fellow Stephen king fan) LITERALLY THIS! just he nails it from a non biased viewpoint ❤

[@sathrielsatanson666]

I always say that King's writing might be scary, laughable or just confusing but what is always on point is King's description of psyche. He creates vivid characters with believable psychology, even if they are dealing with the craziest shit possible. And that is why The Great March is his best work.

[@mattg7952]

Omfg The differences have been glaring since the original mini series with Tim Curry ffs I read the book in 91 in 6th grade and figured out the book and tv series were wildly different. Oh fyi just in case Dark Tower, Needful Things etc don’t adapt into films either in case this moron covers them too.

[@darthtepes]

Exactly! This is why the Shining TV version tried to be accurate but failed in the tone and suspence (but Steven Weber is GREAT as Jack) and the Nicolson film went into different direction and ends up being confusing as an adaptation IMO.

[@sathrielsatanson666]

@@darthtepes Adaptations are like translation: faithful are not good, good are not faithful. Books and movies are a different medium (same for comic books, video games or whatever) and things that work in one medium might be impossible in another medium.

[@yensid4294]

One thing I always enjoyed in King's writing was his ability to build a psychological profile of a character. You know exactly what's going on in their mind to make them do what they do. He also didn't shy away from the very real trauma of childhood. He is obviously very observant of the human condition. And just how much fear/ anxiety/ abuse/ neglect can influence that condition & behavior.

[@sathrielsatanson666]

Damn, quit reading my mind 😂 I wholeheartedly agree, that was always his strongest suit: to create believable characters with rich psychology. That is also part why it's hard to translate King's books to big screen because so much of that rich psychology is described in narration that does not trandlate well to a movie or TV screen.

[@trinaq]

"What if we all f...?" "CUT!" Love that opening skit, the Infamous child sewer sex sequence was wild, and apparently, King was on drugs when he wrote it. Both adaptations made the right choice in dropping it completely, and there's no way that they'd EVER get away with having the young cast act it out, even if it IS a metaphor for the loss of childhood innocence.

[@AnvilPictures]

Ya think!

[@luxshine]

While I agree that it's absolutely the right choice to drop the sewer sex (It is NOT an orgy, in no way, shape or form) , I disagree on that it didn't advance the plot. IT's awkward, it's horrible, it's gross... but it also touches on the passing from childhood to adolescence and, in Beverly's specific case, it gives her the agency that her father was trying to take away from her. That said, yeah, if King hadn't been on every single drug ever created plus a few that he probably created himself, he'd have probably cut it himself and we would've never know about it.

[@ChasehaWing]

They're trying to murder a clown in the sewer. Childhood innocence is LONG gone.

[@benamisai-kham5892]

I think it could have a really artsy metaphor for the loss of innocence for film adaptation, to perhaps infer in a very avant garde way the sewer scene happened. Like a stop motion of a flower blowing in the wind and the petals falling off with each boy member of the losers beverly names?

[@luxshine]

@@ChasehaWing I didn't say "loss of innocence" for a reason. Also, no, they're not trying to murder a clown in the sewer. They're trying to kill an eldrich horror who TOOK their innocence. It is a horrible scene yes, but it's because they're in a horrible situation.

[@Chronos341]

30:24 - It's so much weirder than that. The Turtle is a connection to the Dark Tower. The world turtle is one of the great beams of the tower that holds up our universe. I've also seen it theorized that the turtle brought the kids together because their friendship would connect their latent psychic abilities giving them the "shine" of some one like Danny Torrence.

[@MASTEROFEVIL]

So all of King's books are set in a connected universe?

[@AkiliLion]

@@MASTEROFEVIL Sort of. His earlier books not so much - The Talisman is sort of an early draft of his later designs, in a way - but as King wrote the Dark Tower series, he realized the worlds were all connected, and from that point on they start sharing aspects more deliberately - he mentions this in one of the forwards of a book; I forget which one. There are a lot of mentions about the various "levels" of the Dark Tower in Insomnia, which was written later. But even then there are gaps and inconsistencies. For example, as mentioned above, in the Dark Tower series the Turtle is one of 12 guardians of the Beams which (more or less) hold reality together, with the Dark Tower in the center. The nexus of all Creation; the axle reality spins around. But in IT, the Turtle seems to be some greater entity all of its own. He's present, he's friendly and gives little bits of advice, but he "refuses to take a stand in these matters." Whatever IT truly is resides 'outside' our universe/dimension/level/whatever, and yet in IT mention is made of some Other that invested the kids - and again as adults, briefly - with enough power to defeat IT. In the book they kids undergo a smoke-inhalation ceremony to try to figure out to do, and two of them bear witness to when some fragment of IT arrived on the planet like a baleful comet, in what became Derry, in what they called "Ago". The world they saw suggested the era of the dinosaurs. That's how long this piece of IT has been around. To add even more complexity to the unexpected ways in which his stories are intertwined, in IT they find a strange mark on the final door before IT's lair, well beneath the city of Derry; the mark is gone when IT is killed for good. That same mark is revealed to be on a piece of equipment in the book Under the Dome, and indeed appears to be responsible in some way for the dome. I went wide-eyed when I saw that, but there was no other connection made in that book. Similarly, in Dreamcatcher, near the end one of the characters encounters a statue to the Loser's Club, in the park where the Derry Standpipe used to be. And scrawled underneath it is 'Pennywise Lives', which... well, in the end of IT it is suggested that they aren't sure they killed all of ITs offspring in the final battle, suggesting maybe a descendant of IT could come back. There's a lot of this lore to find!

[@Chronos341]

@@AkiliLion My favorite is that Derry and the Kitchner Ironworks appear in 11/22/63. The main character goes back in time to the summer after IT takes place in the 50's. He winds up in Derry and meets a few of the kids. He eventually ends up at the Ironworks and finds a strange presence that calls to him [Pennywise]. He senses it's evil and never goes back. You mention the kids seeing the past and calling it "Ago." Funny enough "The Land of Ago" is what Jake calls the past in 11/22/63. There's a lot of rhyming phrases and words in King's work. Also Mike's father was saved the fire at the Black Spot by an army cook named Dick Hallorann, who later helped Danny and Wendy escape the Overlook Hotel in the Shining. King stories are fun on their own, but even better when you start connecting the world.

[@G12G4]

I'd point out it's not that the child death is less shocking or bad, it's that it's roundly condemned by the book as bad, while the kid orgy is not.

[@toddsonger3732]

"Cary Fukanaga was still attached to the project but appears un credited." Shows the opening credits with his name visible over Georgie's poor decision making. It's the little things we miss.

[@SamAronow]

Indigo knew what she was doing.

[@mimicmey]

​@@SamAronow Cyan*

[@SamAronow]

@@mimicmey Cyan is Mrs. Blue. Indigo is the editor.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

That was such an odd mistake to make given his writing credit is on wiki/IMDB if he wanted to check.

[@UstraMage]

After listening to this a second time, I noticed you thought the Kids went down after IT to kill it out right, in the boom. However, in the book, the kids did not go down to try and kill it. After the fight in the House, IT felt fear itself for the first time and wanted to end the threat of the kids right now. He pushed Beverly's father to try and rape her causing Bev to run to the Barrons, at the same time, the Bullies were all but fully mind controlled to follow Henry to try and kill them with the knife IT had provided. King, in the narrative, had said, the final battle in the 50s, might never had happened if IT had just let the Kids be.

[@scragar]

RE: Turtle not interfering It's a fan theory that Turtle gets it's strength from hope/close victories in the same way Pennywise gets it's strength from fear. Turtle solving the problem would thus starve it in the same way Pennywise needs people to be scared and shrivles up when people aren't afraid any more. Seems to be one of the more consistent explanations for Turtle being nice but only ever giving people just enough to win. If it didn't help at all no food, if it gave too much help then it'd be less food for more effort.

[@Mallowolf]

That’s an interesting concept! I only know the turtle from the dark tower series, so it’s interesting to know more.

[@alexmcleod9078]

​@Mallowolf "That's all I can tell you. once you get into cosmological shit like this, you got to throw away the instruction manual."

[@MOcamping1212]

See the turtle of enormous girth, on his shell he holds the earth. His thoughts are slow but always kind, he keeps us all within his mind. He loves the land and loves the sea and even loves a child like me.

[@wildwesley9328]

I firmly believe that the reason people are more willing to vocalize their issues with the depiction of a child orgy that child murder is that, in the case of murder, most commonly held beliefs about what happens after death result in either the child no longer having consciousness, thus no more suffering; barring a situation like Patrick where a child is truly evil, children are innocent and would go to heaven or at least purgatory; or be reincarnated into a decent life. The murder of children is still horrifying especially if it includes being tormented by their worst fears before hand; but, unless you believe that spirits with unfinished business are stuck suffering on earth, at least once they’re dead the burden of that tragedy, trauma, and grief is left to the survivors. On the other hand, sexual assault, abuse or even putting kids in sexual anything, even if fictional, triggers a lot of real people who have gone through that trauma and are still alive to feel the pain. Both are horrific but it’s a bit easier to wrap your head around death than unnecessary child porn from the pov of an abused child. There are ways to lose your innocence and transition to adulthood that don’t involve sex, especially not 11 year olds having an orgy.

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Perfect opening. And yep. That scene of the book was AWAKWARD AF. Very understandable they cut it

[@MsTinkerbelle87]

And illegal🤢

[@hannahbul]

Indeed THANK YOU DOM for that opening. The cocaine era, man....

[@reenisciannella713]

I think even King was horrified he wrote that once he sobered up

[@trinaq]

Yep, I was surprised that King's editors actually approved of that, but then again, the 80's were a different time.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

That was probably something the adaptors rule out on day one!

[@flameshade7601]

congrats for getting onto Nebula!! That platform keeps getting more and more stacked, so happy to see you guys thrive in a space that you own and control.

[@xochiltaviles4539]

Regarding the “driving age” at 16:28 my aunt grew up in a small town in Arkansas in the 90s and at 14 she was driving- not legally but no one batted an eye. In a small town like that, and you know the sheriff, you could get away with driving that young.

[@BrokensoulRider]

And if I recall, it's even still preferred today compared to trying to have a bus take you due to all the bullying.

[@liboband]

I would add that of all the kids, Mike was the only one who had good relationship with his parent. They were dirt-poor and constantly picked-upon, but in the end his home was the happiest.

[@BelcherKendric-vn7ke]

If you mean both parents then yes, but if not well Beverly had good terms with her mom.

[@huntressmma1822]

Being able to move your eyeballs independently is an unmatched acting skill, Skarsgard will forever be remembered for this!

[@osmium3691]

On the comment from King that the child m**der doesn't bother people but the sex scene does... The child m**der is SUPPOSED to be horrifying, it's a horror novel. The sex scene is also horrifying, but the book doesn't seem to agree and that's what's so disturbing

[@goddessmelanisia]

Alot of books from the 80s treat grape like seasoning, especially those written by men. Even early Gaimen squicks me out at times for its casual handling of SA.

[@JJHeff]

@@goddessmelanisia Well, considering Gaimen's continued casual handling of SA...

[@Shadow1Yaz]

This is actually a really good take. The fact that that scene *saved the day* “go us! Is messed up. I have a feeling if that scene was also written as horror, we’d have more people defending it as purposefully disturbing but as is, it’s messed up.

[@reynellfreeman8761]

@@goddessmelanisia it wasn't you know what because Beverly consented

[@ryssamartin1622]

Thank you!

[@Hordaki]

27:39 I love the implication of this angle that Dom films in the middle of space but still uses a greenscreen

[@ashleightompkins3200]

I have been waiting for this for fucking AGES! Ever since Children of the Corn! As for what you said about King writing Fear, I wholegeartedly agree. R.L. Stine writes about monsters. King writes about FEAR. I have never heard it be so well worded before and you hit the nail on the head.

[@MikeManich]

I’ve said it for years. This book needs a 2 season 10 episode show. Including everything. My favorite part of the books is when Mike speaks with old townsfolk and they tell stories about the old days. That stuff is gold and some of the best fiction ever written imo

[@jasonblalock4429]

27:00 I totally agree with all this, but I'd take it further: King writes emotions, period. His books aren't about the plot; his books are about the characters' reactions to the plot. He writes the characters so well, and uses authorial insight to get so deep into their heads, that people will swallow any ridiculous plot because they're too invested in the characters. But this is incredibly difficult to translate to film. Narration and voiceover are typically frowned on, especially when they're just exposition dumps. People usually don't want to hear droning narration about what a character is thinking. (Remember Lynch's Dune?) But without that character depth, King's messy plots just aren't strong enough to carry a movie by themselves. Or, as a rule-proving-exception, look at Shawshank Redemption. It actually does pull off extended bits of narration, giving us that deeper insight into the characters' thoughts. And I think that's one of the big reasons it's among the few truly great King movies. See also: Stand By Me.

[@onyxmissile]

The child murders are less traumatic than an underage orgy mainly because, aside for obviously societal taboos, the murders are never written as a positive aspect of the story. You are horrified that it happens and the book says "Yup, that's what you should be feeling". On the other hand, the orgy is very VERY disturbing but the book presents it as "This is good! Guys, why are you vomiting in your mouth?!". So, in my opinion, it's not so much that we are used to violence and overlook it over kids having sex, but the way is depicted. It's also so jarring to know the details of each boys genitalia. Didn't need to know that.

[@theshire9173]

Good explanation. I was wondering why we all thought the way we did and you just cleared up why. It's also messed up because a real grown man is writing this. If this happened in real life, then I can understand how the immature tweens wouldn't understand how messed up it is, but a grown adult wrote this and thought it was a good ending when he could have not written it.

[@MASTEROFEVIL]

King's got some demons in his closest

[@lorelord2418]

​@@theshire9173 It's.... It's not the only time King was weird about kids and sexuality in his works. In one of his Richard Bachman books, The Regulators, the main "Monster" of the setting is an autistic kid who's possessed by a demon. The kid's being raised by his Aunt after the demon murders his family, and... It's complicated. Very complicated. The autistic kid is super into off-brand GI Joe. And the dolls are weird totems/focuses for people in the town that the autistic kid gives super powers to. So the autistic kid/demon has an action figure that's kind of his Aunt. And then the demon/autistic kid molests the action figure in front of the aunt. Purposefully. In a way that's fairly explicit about the inevitability of an incestuous, nonconsensual relationship happening in the future if the possessed child makes it to puberty. It's not a fun scene, there's a lot of descriptions of the tongue, and it's just icky. One of the worst parts about it is that the possessed kid's in a Jekyll and Hyde situation, and it's the demon that did the molesting. But the actual autistic kid is starting to show some interest in the doll too, with all his phenomenal godlike power, and that really freaks the aunt out. It's not portrayed as a good thing, in any way, shape, or form. But it's another weird, horrifying, weirdly sexual thing for a child character to do in a Stephen King book.

[@Charmedsas1]

one is an adult describing teens/kids "private activities" in the point of view of an adult(weird btw), another is an adult describing what atrocities adults are doing to children/kids.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

I certainly would like a 'lost in adaptation' of the excellent but sadly overlooked 'Dr Sleep' film from 2019.

[@phastinemoon]

And, while we’re at it - Carrie, often regarded as a rare exception to the Stephen King adaptation curse (presumably because the thing he makes scary in the book is a girl with psychic powers who finally snaps after being abused one too many times, and because Brian de Palma has actual talent as a director)

[@threerings13]

Totally. Watched the film recently and was shocked by how good it was.

[@Mallowolf]

I enjoyed the film more than the book, which is rare

[@robstewartstewart98]

0:22 100%! What does one even say except….”yeaaaaah NO!”?

[@baalgodofrain]

Legit, what was Stephen King on when he did that??

[@GoldAxe64]

@@baalgodofrainI mean, several things most likely at the time.

[@iamjustkiwi]

Its this weird area...the characters were at a realistic age where we all start experiencing those desires and feelings buuuuuuuut...please dont write that stuff my dude. I just cant think of a way to portray that well without coming across as super creepy.

[@crocodileman94]

@@baalgodofrain Plenty of things apparently

[@404_Toonz]

​@@baalgodofrain coke probly. Lots. And lotsa coke

[@stilelits]

25:00 that is the best explanation i've ever heard for the difference between king's books and movies...i've always just said "what works in a book doesn't always work in a movie," but i never realized it's because of the difference between DESCRIBING fear and SHOWING fear

[@annaw7384]

just got through the intro (which was hilarious btw, Dom your costumes and bits are always amazing!) but yes please i needed this, my favorite book and adaptation on my birthday! thank you dom! thank you for addressing the character moments and the little things that make this book unique, this is literally my favorite book (aside from The Stand, which id love to see you do!) , but i loved seeing the scenes of the kids all together, especially in The Barrens, or hearing the little nods like "Beep, beep, Richie!" or finally getting an accurate Henry Bowers, and also how abusive all of their parents are. also one of my favorite parts about this adaptation was finally seeing the scene in the Chinese restaurant!! all in all, this is probably one of my favorite adaptations to date, regardless of how many changes there are editing again here: the Turtle is only one of Twelve Guardians of the Beams, each one created it's own Beam, each Beam connected to The Dark Tower, if you've read The Dark Tower, conceptualizing the Turtle isn't that hard. in The Dark Tower, they actually defeat one of the Guardians, The Bear, and encounter different Beams as they walk to the Tower. but that's a whole other paragraph that i could write an entire essay about

[@Double-R-Nothing]

I remember reading Patrick Hockstetter's parts in the book and practically begging Pennywise to kill him. Smothering his baby brother was bad enough, but kidnapping and torturing other people's pets especially upset me, as someone who loves animals.

[@kaylahensley1581]

What always struck me about that whole part was how closely Patrick mirrored It in his thought processes.

[@ShinGallon]

@@kaylahensley1581 IT didn't want the competition.

[@rencontessa2075]

I've been saying for years that writers and directors have missed out not adapting his story, including his death, onscreen.

[@godrickstockwell1505]

The animal deaths, to me, were the most horrifying part of the book aside from maybe Beverly's interactions with her husband in the adult timeline. The fact that everything is described so casually, the tone is almost lighthearted when it switches to his thought process. I read the book for the first time about 20 years ago and I'm still not ok

[@joshfacio9379]

Omg that poor puppy! I havent cried so much since the dog scene in the fly 2.

[@elisabethbanber4689]

26:30 "[Stephen King] can make... hedges scary!" I know that reference! XD I do love the way you describe the appeal of King's horror writing.

[@micheledeetlefs6041]

Stephen King: I was using substance when I wrote It. All of Us pointing to the preteen sex scene in the sewers: Oh, really? You honestly think we couldn't tell?

[@samuelbarber6177]

One of the few cases when the reveal of substance abuse is actually a relief.

[@ForrestFox626]

The alternative is much worse, so I'm glad drugs were involved

[@williamjones3534]

Cocain is a powerful drug

[@ManOutofTime913]

If he wasn't on the stuff, the book probably would have been shorter.

[@alicepbg2042]

@@ManOutofTime913 certainly not longer

[@joseywales6168]

24:50 He puts you there, in the shoes of the character, with the most visceral descriptions ever. That's why it goes well as writing that you read directly into your brain, but not as sound that you hear outside of yourself and bring in after translation to brain language

[@etienneleroi9515]

There have been lots of successful adaptations of his horror novels! It, Carrie, The Shining, Misery, Cujo, Christine, Doctor Sleep, Gerald’s Game, The Mist (all hail Frank Darabont and Mike Flanagan)!

[@composerbeef]

One thing I loved about these films is the little tiny details they included. Best example is during the scene with Georgie at the drain. Throughout that scene, Pennywise has light blue eyes (which are the same colour as Bill's eyes). It's eyes change to their usual yellow right before It attacks. This is taken straight from the book, showing how It uses tricks like that to draw the children in to make it easier to kill them. It's such a small detail in the film, but one I really appreciated them including.

[@keittykit]

I just watched a 3-hour video essay about the book and now I'm getting this? Yes, please.

[@ShinGallon]

Where's the 3-hour essay on the book? I'm definitely curious about anyone talking that much about my favorite King novel.

[@kaylahensley1581]

Link please.

[@mimicmey]

Please tell me it was the one by MertKayKay

[@keittykit]

@@mimicmey it was! 🤭

[@keittykit]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nqu5foWEgbt4e68si=XXnrbLEVvwGJGqtt

[@aeronphillips8876]

25:15-- YES YES YES YES THIS PRECISELY. Thank you for summing up into concise language the reason Stephen King's work makes for amazing books but not movies. He can and DOES frequently make you feel GENUINE TERROR for things that, typically, you would NOT react that way to. Christine, the car, for example-- Or on my favorite novella The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon-- the fear comes from the way he describes genuinely innocuous childish things and PUTS YOU THE READER in the fear that the POV character is feeling. In TGWLTG the main character gets lost in the woods, and the way King describes her fear is what makes a relatively light hearted (for King's work-- though scary to be sure) instance of a girl getting lost in the woods for a day or three into the most harrowing thing I've ever read. He also has a genuine love for (as you mentioned) grabbing the child's ankle and pulling them under the bed NEVER to be seen again. He makes you look under bridges, or shut your closet door, not because you yourself are scared of the monsters in there, but because he takes you back to FEELING that genuine innocent fear again, and that's something that a movie cannot replicate. As much as scary movies are amazing they can never TAKE YOU BACK TO WHEN YOU FELT THAT FEAR-- They can only show you what the actors feel, and by nature of King's writing that can never truly be adapted.

[@simonorourke4465]

Some of the king adaptations did make for great adaptations though, Misery and Green mile are the main two that come to mind. It is possible to adapt King and still be faithful to the source material just very difficult.

[@arbyswitch5580]

Right like in all seriousness the scary thing in The Mist is not the titular mist, it's the idea of being stuck in a grocery store with a bunch of strangers (I have severe social anxiety and sensory processing issues, I hate big box stores and also crowds and also interacting with strangers)

[@lmnisop5516]

I think that's why all his books work. They amplify an emotion to their highest level. For non-horror books that's fine because portraying friendship (a la Shawshank or Stand By Me) is something film is really good at. But horror is such a subjective and ever evolving genre that it's really difficult to portray fear without being scary

[@TelenTerror]

31:57 So I can see what King was *trying* for with That Scene, a metaphysical and symbolic passage to adulthood. And it just completely failed to land and there was no way it would have landed and just chalk it up to drugs and skip it.

[@rowandunning6877]

The reason we talk about the orgy more than the child murder is cause it’s a single scene in a Steven king book about child murder, we’re expecting gruesome deaths, they happen all the time in horror books, what we’re not expecting is childhood orgies

[@thatguynomad_]

A note on Kings substance abuse. I had a copy of The Stand in a first edition, before it got edited way down, that had been signed at one point. The note before the signature read "I don't remember writing this, but my names in it so I'll take the credit!"

[@erynlasgalen1949]

I think you may have it backwards. The first edition of The Stand was much shorter because the editors had not learned to give King his head while writing. Much of his charm is in his rambling. I have the book in both forms, and it makes an interesting contrast in the current day references. 'Disco' becomes 'Rap' for instance.

[@thatguynomad_]

@@erynlasgalen1949 you know, now that I'm going back through my collection, the detail about editing down from a larger version is actually from Under the Dome. There's a note in the forward about how his editor didn't want to send out the "Dinosaur of a book" that it originally was. I must have combined the two books in my head somehow XD

[@erynlasgalen1949]

@thatguynomad_ Under the Dome is recent history for me. Lol. As far as I'm concerned, no Stephen King book can be too large or long for me. In fact, I was disappointed when I read Carrie, because the editors wouldn't let King be King. I love to read both versions of The Stand side by side to compare the changes. Classic, mature King is like having Big Steve himself sitting on your living room floor with many cans of Mountain Dew (or something stronger) and letting fly with his storytelling. His unique voice is half the fun of it. I'm the sort of person who likes director's cuts of movies too. My attention span is lengthy.

[@KiwiLombax15]

Apparently he has absolutely zero recollection of writing Cujo, which annoys him, because he really enjoyed reading it and reckons it's clear he had great fun writing it.

[@ashleyleckwold5091]

@@KiwiLombax15Yeah, he was too zooted to remember writing Cujo. I think if I recall correctly, The Drawing of the Three is one of the first books he wrote sober. Writer and recovering addict Matt Fraction did a really great analysis of how this shows on the podcast Kingcast a few years back.

[@Vohalika]

That quote about the sewer orgy is wild. Like. My dude, my guy. I might not remember my childhood in minute detail and perfect accuracy. But I very much do remember NOT having sex with 6 boys in a sewer at age 11. But maybe I'm the outlier here.

[@sathrielsatanson666]

Do you remember fighting with cosmic spiders impersonating killer cloens tho?

[@Vohalika]

@@sathrielsatanson666 I remember gym class, yes.

[@js66613]

​@@sathrielsatanson666 I do. Those were wild times, man. /j

[@natbatlightwood5288]

27:51 i rewinded to this part way more than i should have. That had me in sobs laughing...i needed that laugh it has been a screwy week. 😂😂😂

[@SammieMousie]

26:07 The scariest moment in The Shining for me was not the door knob but the fire hose scene. King made me afraid of that hose.

[@MM-zs7rp]

100%!

[@annnichols3091]

Your comment about Stephen King being able to make hoses and hedges scary in his books reminded me of how you scoffed at the idea in your LiA for "The Shining" mini-series.

[@skylx0812]

In the tv miniseries "that scene" is referenced when the creepy old woman having tea morphs into the abusive dad in granny drag and he calls his adult daughter a wh _ re for what she did with "those" boys. I didn't know what it meant till I read the book. I thought it was just refering to 50s-60s sentiments about girls being part of a boys group. They were called "boy crazy" if they wanted to hang out wirg boys too mucg back then.

[@ZachCook1397]

One thing I found really interesting is that they are able to capture something from the book, that being Eddie marrying someone that looks just like his mother, by casting the same actress to play both of the characters. Also to answer your question kids in the US can get their learner's permit at 14 which means they can drive as long as there is an adult with you in the car and you can get a school permit at 14 too which means you can drive to school without an adult.

[@coiler_119]

Regarding learner's permits, it depends on the state. Where I am, you can't get one until you turn 15 and 9 months, and there are no exceptions for students, an adult must be in the car with them at all times.

[@amityislandchum]

@@coiler_119 Yup, I'm pretty sure the student/work exceptions have been removed from every state for a couple decades now.

[@ZachCook1397]

@@amityislandchum they at least had it in iowa in 2019 when my sister got hers

[@phastinemoon]

@@coiler_119 That said -- these are bullies who are, like, legit criminals... Do you think they give any kinds of shit about the legality of their learners permits?

[@coiler_119]

​@phastinemoon I mean, no they wouldn't, but I wasn't talking about that. I was responding to the blanket statement being made about the US as a whole, when the age you can start doing that depends on the state you're in

[@fireemblem723]

for anyone wondering, the being above the turtle is known as Gan, from whose "navel" (knowing King, it could be him using an old-timey way to talk about one's junk. like how in myth it was often used to mean groin) springs the Dark Tower. there are also a handful of other animal patrons who guard the Beams upon which the Tower sits. They're arrayed in a wheel shape, with pairs of animals being one spoke of the wheel. The most important pair is the Turtle and at the opposite end, beyond the Tower, is Shardik, the Bear. Just thought people might want to know that the idea of something beyond the Turtle is actually important

[@dana8503]

Was the bear what appears in 'the girl who loved Tom gordon' ?

[@lorelord2418]

I don't think so. The monster in "The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon" isn't really a bear. It's just rot and decay, and like a hive of hornets that's puppeting a bear corpse. There's an argument to be made that it might be linked to the bear in The Dark Tower, seeing as they're both damaged, diseased, and maddened; even if one bear has bugs living in it, and the other is a cyborg. But the main difference is that Shardik is his own entity, whereas the bear from Tom Gordon is an agent of an evil entity, not its own entity.

[@erynlasgalen1949]

Shardik? Did King take his inspiration from Richard Adam's?

[@gabriellagomez2618]

Yes, he did! ​@@erynlasgalen1949

[@TheLegoBuildings]

”Second only to the late great Agatha Christie” could genuinely be the name of Stephen King’s biography

[@JuniperArtemis16]

Watched the second part on nebula already! So happy to see Dominic on there, and for the record would love to see him cover the 90s miniseries as a bonus!

[@KakiOlsenCreative]

0:02 I haven’t watched yet, but I’ve been having an awful week and am almost in tears at the prospect of this.

[@Sweet_Z_Official]

That cat was so traumatized by Georgie's death. 😿 Cats and clowns don't mix.

[@FAYZER0]

I listened the the unabridged audio book... at work... and when it got to the infamous scene in the sewer I had this paranoia that I would be arrested at any moment.

[@gretchen8100]

24:56 THANK YOU!! I have always felt that King doesn't write scary stories. He writes compelling, complicated characters, drops them into scary situations, and then writes about how they act and react to it

[@Modern_Robot]

Bill Skarsgård's interpretation of It leans towards the fact it's not human but has learned the ways of earth but the wonky eyes show It is a bit off about it. It's like Heath Ledger's Joker vs Nicholson's Joker. Same character, just what aspect are you heightening in your performance.

[@wrexvincent]

This movie feels more like a readaptation of the miniseries from the 90s than the book to be honest

[@findyourcenterbbc8483]

Thank you, Dom! Everyone is have ever talked to about King never talk about how at his core he is a psychological horror writer.

[@alesonu]

I loved how you made the point of how Stephan King brings fear to life through his writing. I always felt the same but couldn't phrase it properly.

[@ashleyleckwold5091]

Honestly, you *really* can’t get into Maturin without getting into a whole tangent about The Dark Tower as the lynchpin holding everything together. All Things Serve The Beam.

[@BelcherKendric-vn7ke]

I doubt he has read The Dark Tower books.

[@ashleyleckwold5091]

@@BelcherKendric-vn7ke I mean, I try not to assume anything about Dom’s life outside of the channel, but if that is the case, all the Dark Tower references in the comments right now are EXTRA funny to me.

[@tedgovostis7351]

I remember when it came out and my Jr Highschool library got it. I was 12 and read it in a two day reading frenzy.

[@psycher7]

...Were you on as much Colombian white as King was when he wrote it? I used to tear through books as well, but damn. Even I couldn't tackle 1,200 pages in a couple of days.

[@neru1584]

​@@psycher7in elementary school I read the entire harry potter series with in a few weeks because it was in my classroom library. Kids have insane buffs but sadly they get nerfed once they hit 18 since I couldn't even THINK of doing that now lmao

[@skyslasher2297]

0:08 Everyones talking about the paper eating but I'm particularly mused by The Dom representing Chosen Jacobs that just has Black Character stabled onto his shirt.

[@borchmore9]

The last time I was this early, the it miniseries was new.

[@Dominic-Noble]

Lol

[@foxxknight8847]

I seriously liked Curry's version of Pennywise better. The "clown disguise" was supposed to be innocent and funny to lure his victims in. Skarsgard's Pennywise was just up front creepy. :(

[@caseyd9471]

Same, he tipped back and forth between whimsy and terror, which made his performance more effective imo

[@BluegrassGeek]

24:45 Hits the nail on the head. King himself goes into this in both Danse Macabre and On Writing, his two books about his writing process. He focuses on fear, and the different ways to scare someone, but it's the feeling that matters more than the actual threat itself.

[@deathislife1993]

It is my all-time favorite individual book, and I've loved your content for years, so I'm looking forward to this. Thank you for all the work you've put into your channel, I especially love your skits :)

[@AzrealWings]

I love your Stephen King videos, but this has to be one of the best Lost in Adaptations as a whole. It was so hard not to burst out laughing at work

[@AnvilPictures]

26:35 He can make Tall Grass scary. Seriously In the Tall Grass was a disturbing movie on Netflix

[@darthtepes]

15:19 - not only its general vibe is inspired by Stephen King's works, but the whole beginning thing that launces the plot in Season one is a huuuuge hommage to Black House (like, if you read it, you'll see it immediately). And the series also stars the actor who plays Richie, so it's a win-win😅

[@earthiswatching]

In Maturin's defense, he is one of the guardians of the beams, so he's probably a bit busy doing that.

[@sebastianevangelista4921]

Fun Fact! Maturin the turtle plays a small part in the Dark Tower series.

[@OzmaOfOzz]

I love the Dark Tower series. Disappointed Maturin wasn't included in IT

[@sebastianevangelista4921]

@@OzmaOfOzz Yep!