A huge part of the appeal of Richie is that the filmmakers canonically removed him from being gay, but they still feel that his story should have been handled more delicately. He's forced to procure his masters prey and do his bidding, no matter how debased. Other fans have interpreted Eddie as a closeted gay man who used Myra as a beard, as in the book Eddie shows no romantic or sexual interest in Myra and views her as an extension of his mother. Along the way, he spots a clown standing on the ice, clutching balloons and offering Ben one, with his usual offer for the kid to float. Richie is known for his loudmouthed and sarcastic personality, which led to him being called "Richie 'Trashmouth' Tozier" by his peers. Somebody cares for [Eddie,] and that echoes the love that Adrians partner has for him. Dawn Roy - Decapitated by Pennywise, but was later found in McCarin Park. I greatly enjoyed Louis Peitzmans take on the Richie/Eddie plot if youre looking for more reading to do on this topic, because there are multiple perspectives on this story and all are incredibly valid reads. Henry still gets his comeuppance, though, as he soon finds himself in handcuffs and framed for all the recent murders of the town's children. Even though Richie does not claim to be gay or bisexual, he has the intention to do so. The Losers Club is a group of outcasts who band together to defeat a common enemy. Some of the consequences of this could have been avoided if Eddie had known about their differences. Richie never comes out to his friends and therefore never has his fears of rejection be proven baseless. Some Redditors have already called this decision pandering. Calvin Clark - Electrocuted by a fallen electricity cable during a violent storm. Serving as one of the main protagonists of Stephen King 's 1986 horror novel IT, its miniseries adaptation, and its two film adaptations, IT and IT: Chapter Two. Despite Bill kissing and reliving her childhood, Bev fully realizes her feelings for Ben by the end of the sequel. This adaptation remains fairly faithful to the novelisation, including and up to his death. Richard (Richie) Tozier was born on March 7, 1946 (novel), 1950 (miniseries), or 1976 (films) and is the son of Maggie and Wentworth Tozier. Why I Wont Be Watching the Zoey 101 Reboot And You Shouldnt Either, This The Last Of Us Detail Will Rip Your Heart Out, Lets Remember A Time When the MCU Phases Were Enjoyable, has tweeted about how he wanted to include discussion of Eddies sexuality, Why I Won't Be Watching the Zoey 101 Reboot - And You Shouldn't Either, Fox News Finally Wants to Break Up With Trump, 'Rick and Morty' Creator Justin Roiland Accused of Grooming as Domestic Violence Charges Surface, The Science Behind 'The Last of Us' Is Terrifying Fans, M3GAN 2.0 is Confirmed! Richie, as tragic as it is, was unable to come to terms with the fact that he never truly loved Eddie. The two are approached by time traveler Jake Epping, who enquires about the Dunning family. The loser is able to belittify the monster to defeat it, but Eddie dies protecting Richie. Stephen King is also a massive fan of this film and reportedly gave an enthusiastic blessing to this subplot, Interestingly enough, Dennis Christopher, who played the adult Eddie in the 1990 version of, Its also worth noting that prejudice and bigotry are very much villains in the world of, Ultimately, it is up to the viewer to decide how they feel about the Richie/Eddie plot. Related: What The IT Movie Did Better Than The Miniseries. Or to keep it anonymous, click here. In the film, we see Adrian using his inhaler during the attack, and Eddie of course is seen using his throughout the film; the visual language directly compares the two. It Chapter Two: How Does the Sequel's Cast Compare to the Originals? It is interesting to me that they decided to make Richies sexuality more of a plot point and keep Eddies sexuality as more of a subtextual arc. Its easy to translate this fear into a fear of being open about his sexuality or his feelings, and in fact is part of why his sexuality and his relationship with Eddie have been speculated about long before the first IT came out in 2017. In the IT book, there is little doubt that Richie focuses a lot of his attention on teasing Eddie even referring to him as cute. IT Chapter One barely scratches the surface of this ultimate revelation. In the scene, Bill leads up a Native American smoke hole ritual in an effort to find out more about the demon that's doing so much damage to Derry. Subscribe: https://goo.gl/DT39UP (Don't forget to turn on deathbell. It's another version of the glass tunnel that connects the children's library and the adult library. A giant version of Pennywise, dressed in a costume, makes an appearance in the garage where Bill is hiding. A feminine boy can be straight. In the canonical world, Lionel is not gay, whereas Eddie is. Floyd Calderwood - Hacked to death by Heroux. This interpretation of Richie tends to make more pop-culture references and becomes a stand-up comedian as an adult rather than a DJ. Adrian Mellons death is in part due to Pennywise fanning the hatred of the town; this is much clearer in the book than it is in the movie, but its a present thread throughout the chapter focused on him. Neil Weiner & Sharon E. Robinson Kurpius (1995). Mike Hanlon, the only remaining member of the Seven who has never left his hometown, summons them back home in 1990. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! This results in one of his richest, and scariest, books, that tells the epic story of seven friends who team together one summer to stop the monster preying on their town. It has nothing to do with appeasement or pander to the troll community. But one photo of his lost little brother starts to move, winking at him and promising that he'll see him soon, just before the book starts gushing blood. It's another instance of the movie avoiding unnecessary controversywhich is pretty interesting, since it's still a movie about kids battling a child-murdering monster. Eddie becomes friends with The Loser's Club members Bill Denbrough, Stanley Uris and Richie Tozier the latter of which often teases Eddie due to his hypochondria and overbearing mother. A student at the same school as the Losers, Eddie's stepfather severely abuses him and his brother Dorseyand actually ends up killing his little brother with a hammer, which leaves Eddie on the run for his life. In the summer of 1958, a group of dissatisfied members meet. Etc, etc. The Losers Club is a group of seven misfit children who live in a fictitious Maine town called Derry. In each of the adaptations, Pennywise manifests the terrifying thing that his victims fear the most. This scene has a. Tinker McCutcheon - Hacked to death by Heroux. [4][5], Edward "Eddie" Kaspbrak was born on November, 1946 (1947 in Miniseries and 1976 in Films) and is the son of Frank and Sonia Kaspbrak. 340 Unnamed Settlers - Died of unknown causes, but were possibly killed by Pennywise. This all goes to show, of course, that Stan has more trouble accepting It than the rest, which will have deadly consequences for him later in life. Despite Richie's jokes, the two are in fact incredibly close friends, this is seen at the end of the novel when Eddie's death purely devastates Richie and leaves him depressed. There's no way to know someone's sexuality based on their personality. Arlene Hanscom - Died of an unknown cause. Floyd Calderwood - Hacked to death by Heroux. Richie being canonically gay (though I hesitate to assign a specific label to him, since in the book hes had serious relationships with women while still having subtextual feelings for Eddie, while the film seems to imply hes gay rather than bisexual) is not a decision thrown in to appease or pander to the Tumblr crowd as some Redditors have already dismissively said. werewolves, mummies, lepers, evil paintings, and even giant birds are just a few of the things the boys in the Losers Club fear. The group gives them a chance to prove themselves and to feel like they are part of something larger than themselves. Perhaps his death was cut for time, or the special effects of the swamp monster might have been too expensive to put together for a secondary character, or perhaps the filmmakers wanted to rein in the amount of parental abuse in the movie. Of all the articles I expected to write about, As much as Ive always loved Richie as a character, in the first, Richies greatest fear has always been being himself. Eddie was again portrayed in the 2017 remake and its 2019 sequel by Jack Dylan Grazer as a child and James Ransone as an adult. Richies greatest fear has always been being himself. Frederick Cowan - Drowned and partially eaten by Pennywise. (All of this happens before Beverly Marsh's innocent eyes, making the shock value even more intense on paper.). Richie receives a call from Mike who remained behind in Derry that It has returned, causing the death of Adrian Mellon. The ending of the It movie certainly simplified things when it came to the Losers' first banishment of the beast. You can love that they made Richie canonically not straight and still feel like his narrative shouldve been handled with a little more grace and care. During his first appearance in the original novel, he talks about doing his voices and impressions because its easer to be brave when youre someone else. It feels almost surreal to have a major film that actually wants to engage with this reading of the text, rather than to just blink past it or turn it into the butt of a joke. Eddie Kaspbrak's first encounter with It in the movie is relatively similar to the novel: he passes by the creepy house on Neibolt Street and runs into a leper, which is the culmination of his. There is no mention of Eddies sexuality in the film, but it is present in his character. When he shows Richie and it moves again, Bill tries to actually reach into the photo and gets lashed on the hand. Eddie's body ends up being left in the Neibolt House, much to Richie and Beverly's dismay, leaving Richie devastated.[9]. In Stephen Kings original novel, the unrequited feelings between Richie and his friend Eddie are much more fully explored. Even if they dont ever share a love confession or a kiss, the parallels between Richie and Eddie both coming into their own throughout the film strongly lend themselves to a reading that Richie and Eddies feelings were requited, even if they are never said on screen. It is with the Losers, and namely Richie, that he is able to realize that he is more than what hes been told he is, leading to him taking a stand and helping to defeat It. IT is causing problems for Eddie, Richie, Beverly, and Ben. Martin's Favorite Fantasy Series for TV, why the film doesn't have an after credits scene, How to Build a Decoder in Minecraft (Ft. WildEngineering), New Pokemon in Scarlet and Violet (Gen 9). Bill and Richie end up staying in the hotbox long enough to realize that It is an evil force that's sucking the lifeblood out of the town. There is a lot to be discussed about this particular plot, ranging from Richies canon journey to Eddies implied one to whether or not this film is decent representation. The viewer decides whether or not to watch the Richie/Eddie plot. This pushes the survivors on to kill Pennywise. Much like Richies sexuality, Eddies sexuality has been discussed since the book came out this is not a new phenomenon. Then, during the film's climactic showdown with Pennywise, Richie's childhood friend Eddie Kaspbrak (James Ransone) dies in his arms, which leaves Richie inconsolable. The leper doesn't make fun of his medication; instead, he offers to perform sexual favors in exchange for cash, as a nod to the fact that Eddie's been taught to fear his sexuality, most likely because of communicable diseases, and the Neibolt house was regarded a former prostitution den. The adult portrayal is well known for a scene where Pennywise taunts him in a public library, which has become iconic for Tim Curry's over-the-top performance. Maybe, even though the world is still homophobic and cruel, Richie can be who he truly is. Want more stories like this? Please note that this will only analyse the Spaghetti-Man as he is are written in the book. Heres What We Know, Former Literal Poster Child for Hogwarts School Choir Is Boycotting Hogwarts Legacy, Everyone Has Thoughts About the MLK & CSK Statue, But Not All of Them Deserve Space, IKEA Canada Made an Actual Blhaj Shark in Trans Colors, More Attack on Titan Is Coming and My Bosom Is Heaving Like a Romance Novel Protagonist, Everything We Know About Daredevil: Born Again. Check out the trailer for Renfield, the upcoming vampire movie starring Nicholas Hoult and Nicolas Cage. In the book,Pennywise attempts to rape Eddie Kaspbrak while chasing him off a bridge. Butch encouraged Henry to hate all foreigners as well as . This veers into headcanon territory, but you know what? Is The Lost Boys Gay? In this video I'll be going through the entire chronological life of Eddie Kaspbrak and doing a complete breakdown and analysis of his character, including the dark aspects and psychological damage that Eddie picked up.This will cover the entire known history of Eddie from his birth to his death. In many cases, Eddie survives and married Richie despite the fact that he dies in the novel. Muschietti explained that it was a relevant departure from the book because it investigated the characters fears as adults. He's also clearly tormented by Henry and his friends while being told that he and his family don't belong in the town. It's not clear why this part of the story was streamlined for the movie, except perhaps to save time and narrow the narrative focus. He remembers a specific moment in which he was publicly humiliated and shamed, which then leads into an encounter with Pennywise in which the clown mocks him for his dirty little secret. His remembered trauma is entirely about not being able to be who he truly is and how he fears having his secret exposed. Exploring Ben Ungermanns Sexuality: Is MasterChef Australia Star Gay? Audra has catatonic delusions, and Bill, Beverly, Richie, Eddie, and Ben must rescue her from the sewers. The door shuts, locking him in, and he hears a voice claiming to be "the dead ones." He wants to have the attention and love from his friends that he doesn't receive at home from his parents. Chief Andrew Rademacher - Killed in a violent storm. His emotional journey in the second film retroactively gives him more depth in the first film as well as advances the character beautifully in Chapter Two, because we realize what his deepest fears and insecurities were about. Members of the group include Bill Denbrough, who stutters; Eddie Kaspbrak, who has a hypochondriac condition; Ben Hanscom, who is overweight; Richi Tozier, a jokester; Stan Uris, a Jewish boy; Beverly Marsh, a woman of lower. Halsey: The Human Form In All Its Complexities. His story is similar to the novel with the exception that he does not kill Henry Bowers. The turtle informs him that he can only defeat It in a battle of wills, soBill makes It bring him back through the power of his mind, weakening It enough that the Losers can make a physical attack. The It movie did a great job of sneaking in a lot of the pop culture-inspired monsters that loomed large over the Losers, but the werewolf that came into play at the Neibolt Street house only appeared in a blink-and-you'd-miss-it moment. In this modern tale focusing on Draculas loyal servant, Renfield (Hoult) is the tortured aide to historys most narcissistic boss, Dracula (Cage). Jeffrey Hollie - Torn apart by Pennywise, but was later found near The Canal. Thats okay. According to ritchie, he is gay and is in love with Emily Kasprarak. His brothers body may have ended up in a marshy wasteland connected to the sewers eight months later. Both redefining and transcending the genre, IT became part of the cultural zeitgeist as well as the highest-grossing horror film of all time.Because every 27 years evil revisits the town of Derry, Maine, It Chapter Two brings the characterswhove long since gone their separate waysback together as adults, nearly three decades after the events of the first film. IT, each other, and the most significant and traumatic events of the summer in 1958 fade into the background gradually. But little Chad was still just a toddler, which makes his probable death even more gruesome. So that was cool. [6], Richie is known as being the comedian of The Losers Club, often telling jokes at inappropriate times, which leads to his friends often saying "Beep Beep, Richie" when they want him to stop talking. Here's how his demise compares in both the novel and 1990 miniseries. Many called the scene heartbreaking and the reaction from Ransone and Hader to be truly saddening. Interestingly enough, Dennis Christopher, who played the adult Eddie in the 1990 version of IT, has tweeted about how he wanted to include discussion of Eddies sexuality in that adaptation but the filmmakers there shied away from it all. The clowns, who are seemingly child-killing, are met by each of the children individually. With that said, its also worth noting that the It: Chapter Two cast features several openly gay actors, including Bill Hader, who plays Richie Tozier. [2] The group eventually goes to face the clown, which causes Eddie to finally stand up to his mother beforehand. At first, they just go there to light their farts on fire, but after he and Henry find themselves alone, Patrick makes a sexual advance on Henry, who accepts to a pointuntil his homophobia kicks in, and he starts slinging slurs at his friend before taking off. Despite what he's seen, Stan still has trouble wrapping his head around what's happened and needs more proof of It's existence. Their relationship is treated as being important to the narrative without winking or no homo-ing. Eddie covers his eyes and presses ahead to spray it with his aspirator, which succeeded in wounding the clown when he was young. Avatar: The Way of Water Holds Off an Impressive $30.2 Million Debut by M3GAN, Night Court Season 1 Review: Episodes 1-6, Report: Ubisoft CEO Apologizes to Employees Over 'Ball in Your Court' Comments, Halo, Gears, and Starfield Studios Impacted by Wave of Microsoft Layoffs, The Punisher's Latest Victim Shows How Ridiculously Powerful Frank Castle Has Become, Meet the Killer Klowns From Outer Space: Exclusive Class Details, James Cameron Has Scrapped Jake Sully as the Narrator of Avatar 3, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Announces 10,000 Lay-Offs, Stephen Colbert to Adapt George R.R. Stephen King, who also enjoys this film, reportedly gave a thumbs up. The twist in Chapter Two about Richie Toziers homosexuality is never made explicitly stated in the book. Its been over a decade since the release of It, one of the most popular and successful horror films in recent memory. Branson Buddinger - Committed suicide by hanging himself. The second season of Chapter 2 is set to begin this month. It is a horror novel written by Stephen King. In the book, though, they're all are caught by It in the sewers after chasing the Losers. [8] Strictly in It Chapter Two, it has been interpreted by some fans that Richie's comedic defense mechanism also doubles as him hiding his romantic feelings for Eddie Kaspbrak. 3 likes. In It: Chapter Two, James Ransone, who plays the adult version, plays the role of Richie, a closeted gay man in love with his childhood best friend, Eddie (played by Arthur Miller). However, when realizing his medication is fake and his mother has been using him, he loses her trust and relies solely on his friends. The members of the group are typically rejected by their peers and have low self-esteem. Seven Unnamed Men - Hacked to death by Heroux. From the start, he was abused both physically and psychologically by his abusive Nazi father Oscar "Butch" Bowers. Ultimately, it is up to the viewer to decide how they feel about the Richie/Eddie plot. Chapters0:00 | Intro0:48 | The Birth of Edward Kaspbrak3:58 | Horror By The Trainyard5:56 | Building The Dam7:04 | Mid Summer9:53 | Bowers Gets Revenge13:44 | Taking the Fight to IT16:45 | Moving to New York18:22 | Back To Derry19:06 | Back to the Baseball Diamond20:32 | Bowers Attacks21:42 | Final Showdown--Horror History--Horror History is a series that analyses specific characters, monsters, places or events in the fictional worlds of your favorite horror franchises. Even if they dont confess or kiss, the parallels between Richie and Eddies growth throughout the film are striking, and the emotions that they convey are deeply emotional. For the most part, Eddies arc has a lot of subtext about his sexuality (just like the novel and original miniseries) but no oh, there is it moment like Richies story does when it comes to analyzing his sexuality in Chapter Two, which is slightly frustrating as a fan of the book but also slightly understandable as a film critic. The only thing Henry seems to be able to do right by his father is express and act upon their shared racism against the Hanlon family, which culminates in Henry poisoning Mike Hanlon's dog Mr. Chipsjust as his father had poisoned the Hanlons' livestock before. I greatly enjoyed Louis Peitzmans, Not Only Is Kim K Late To This Trend, Its Also Offensive. But for now, these are the most disturbing scenes from Itthe first half of the book in particularthat were left behind during the long journey to theaters. Despite this, IT fans continue to praise Reddie as one of the novels best aspects. Tinker McCutcheon - Hacked to death by Heroux. Eddie is shown . It's a footnote to the whole story ofIt, but an especially unsettling one. It is later discovered that Pennywise is using the sewers to travel unseen. Still, as someone whos rarely felt like blockbuster films engage with the queer subtext they present (Marvel, Star Wars the list goes on and on) or even recognize that queer people exist, I found this decision to be particularly moving.