It's been over a month since IT first hit theaters, and in the time since the movie was released, we have learned quite a bit about the making of the film. One fun fact we learned was that IT had apparently filmed a deleted scene that was pretty "disturbing," according to actor Bill Skarsgard. The scene was supposed to be a flashback sequence, and recent reports have indicated that it may have actually involved Pennywise eating a baby in the 1600s. Yes, eating an infant.
News has broken that IT apparently contained a scene about Pennywise eating a baby. During a recent Throwing Shade podcast, Timothy Simons, an actor who tried out for the part of Pennywise (a part that eventually went to Bill Skarsgard), explained that when he auditioned, he read a scene about Pennywise eating a baby that seemingly confirms the information that has appeared online. He said about the scene,
It was [Pennywise] way back at the beginning of Derry convincing the woman to give him her baby to eat. And it was scary. The thing that was scariest about it was that it was very direct. It was, 'If you don't do this, these are the things that I'm going to do.' And they were all terrible.
Knowing that IT almost featured the death of the baby isn't really a huge shocker, as IT is a movie that has zero issue with killing off children. But a Reddit post seemingly reveals more about the scene that could have made the movie. The scene would have been set in 1637 and would have featured a character named Abigail running into her home and grasping her baby to her breast, whereafter Pennywise would have slipped in and shape-shifted into a terrifying, half-human creature with "razor sharp teeth." Pennywise then would have threatened Abigail's whole family, saying she needed to yield her baby, after which the following would have happened:
She turns away from the baby. Faces those dying embers. We keep on her face as they seem to begin GLOWING BRIGHTER AS -- OVER HER SHOULDER -- OUT OF FOCUS -- Pennywise crawls over to the Baby and starts to feast. SHARP CRY FROM THE BABY CUT OFF as we hear a CRUNCH. Abigail continues to look into the BRIGHT ORANGE GLOW of not the flickering fire... but the DEADLIGHTS. Her expression changing. Fear. Denial. Grief. Acceptance. And then nothing. Just a glazed look. AS IF NOTHING HORRIFIC IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING BEHIND HER.
If you've seen IT, you should already know that the movie does not really delve into Derry flashbacks in IT, other than through the lens of some historical research at the library and some storytelling about The Black Spot. We know that adults don't seem to notice a lot of the weird goings on in the city, but there's certainly not a scene set in 1637 or near the beginning of the history of Derry, Maine. When IT 2 eventually gets off of the ground, it is expected to feature flashback sequences, so maybe a scene as horrifying as the one above will work its way in. For now, take a look at what we know about IT 2.
