Though It: Chapter One and It: Chapter Two are brand-new and actually totally awesome movies, giving a more modern and contemporary take on the story of IT, the miniseries It (or Stephen King’s It) starring Tim Curry still largely holds up after all these years.
Since it aired in 1990 (in two parts, just like our new ones), next month will mark the miniseries’ thirty year anniversary! We’re celebrating early by looking at five ways the Losers Club was better in the new movies, and five ways they were better in the miniseries, because everyone has their own unique style!
Movies — Bill! Bill! Bill!
How can you beat Bill Hader? SNL alum Bill Hader plays the adult Richie Tozier in the new It: Chapter Two, in what many are considering to be a performance worthy of nominations for Golden Globes and Oscars, if horror performances or films ever got the recognition they deserved. Bill’s interpretation of Richie “Trashmouth” Tozier is not only hilarious and well-acted, but also deep, emotional, and layered with dynamic personality. Bill Hader is absolutely one of the best parts of the new Losers Club.
Miniseries — That’s Some Bad Hat, Harry
To go back to the 1990 miniseries, though… Harry Anderson! The late, great Harry Anderson may be better known for his roles as Judge Harry Stone on Night Court, Dave Berry on Dave’s World, and Harry “The Hat” Gittes on Cheers, Harry Anderson played the original adult Richie Tozier in the 1990 It miniseries. Like Bill Hader, he comes from an SNL-related background, having appeared on the show so many times that the performances actually helped him earn his roles as Harry “The Hat” Gittes and Judge Harry Stone. Though he sadly passed away in 2018, his performance as Richie Tozier is not soon forgotten as one of the highlights of Stephen King’s It.
Movies — Horror Icon Finn Wolfhard
Enough about adult Richie Tozier! Let’s go back to the young teenaged Richie Tozier, who’s played in It: Chapter One and It: Chapter Two by Finn Wolfhard. Though only sixteen years old, Finn Wolfhard has been steadily making a name for himself in the worlds of horror and science fiction. Finn Wolfhard is perhaps best known for his starring role as Mike Wheeler in the hit Netflix series Stranger Things, but he also has played Pugsley Addams in The Addams Family and Miles in The Turning, and he’s set to appear in the new Ghostbusters. Finn Wolfhard is surely making himself known in the world of horror films after his appearances as Richie Tozier in It: Chapter One and It: Chapter Two!
Miniseries — Horror Icon Seth Green
What Finn Wolfhard is doing now, Seth Green did decades ago. Seth Green is the original actor to play the young teenaged Richie Tozier, and he absolutely nailed the performance, making it so memorable he’s pretty much impossible to top.
Of course, he’s gone on to such iconic horror performances as Patrick Wisely in Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Lumpy in Krampus, and, of course, as Daniel “Oz” Osbourne in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Seth Green has only gotten cooler with time, though he is forty-five years old now and could’ve conceivably played an adult Richie Tozier in the new movies.
Movies — R + E
Neither Stephen King (the author of the original novel IT that both the miniseries and the new movies are based off of) nor Tommy Lee Wallace (the writer and director of Stephen King’s It) was willing to fully commit to making any of their characters gay. Andy Muschietti, however, not only made Richie Tozier canonically gay, but he also grappled with this in the storyline and made him canonically in love with Eddie Kaspbrak, portrayed by Jack Dylan Grazer as a teenager and James Ransone as an adult. If only every adaptation had this!
Miniseries — The Existence Of Dennis Christopher
Though James Ransone did a wonderful job portraying the adult Eddie Kaspbrak, the original actor for adult Eddie in the It miniseries was Dennis Christopher. You may remember Dennis Christopher as Dave Stoller in Breaking Away, Eric Binford in Fade to Black, or Charlie Paddock in Chariots of Fire, but you probably remember him most recently as Leonide Moguy in Django Unchained, a part that was specifically added for him, since Quentin Tarantino is such a big fan of Dennis Christopher that he rewrote the movie’s screenplay to accommodate a spot for him, and has supposedly seen every single movie Dennis Christopher was in the week the movie came out. He must be Dennis Christopher’s #1 fan, and we’ll just have to settle for #2. Dennis Christopher is now very active on social media, especially Twitter, and loves talking with his fans!
Movies — Love Your Friends
One of the more wonderful aspects of modern-day relationships and character dynamics in movies and on television is that people are far more openly affectionate with one another than they were in the old days. Though 1990 hardly qualifies as “the old days” (and if it does, we’re all in trouble), the Losers are not as openly affectionate with one another in the miniseries as they are in the new movies.
For example, who can forget the dynamic between adult Bill Denbrough (James McAvoy) and adult Mike Hanlon (Isaiah Mustafa)? The movies would be far worse if they didn’t have the loving relationship they do!
Miniseries — Pennywise’s “Gifts” Of Success
In Stephen King’s original novel, It, the reason that the Losers Club members are so successful (and so childless) as adults is because of Pennywise. There are supernatural forces influencing them to control their lives, even during the twenty-seven-year gap in between the first time they fight Pennywise as teenagers, and the second time they fight Pennywise as adults. In the miniseries, they actually touch on the why of this situation; in the movies, it’s not addressed at all, and so makes the Losers Club that much more confusing.
Movies — Just More Relatable
Such is life, but updating the adaptation of It in the public’s consciousness means that you have to adapt the story to make sure the main themes come across to modern audiences. Andy Muschietti nailed that with It: Chapter One and It: Chapter Two. Big chunks of the 1990 miniseries Stephen King’s It don’t stand the test of time, but the new movies have a sort of universal relatability that it seems pretty much anyone can engage with, which gives it that one leg up over the miniseries when it comes to the relatability of the Losers Club.
Miniseries — More Mike!
The biggest problem with the new movies? There is nowhere near enough Mike Hanlon, as a teenager or as an adult. Played by Chosen Jacobs as a teenager and by Isaiah Mustafa as an adult, Mike is the one who stays behind in Derry, he’s the one who brings the Losers’ Club back together, and he’s the one who knows the ritual to stop Pennywise, and yet he has only slightly more screen time than Stan, who dies about two minutes after being introduced as an adult, and really only appears as a teen. Luckily, in the miniseries, where Marlon Taylor played young Mike and Tim Reid played older Mike, he gets a lot more screen time, which Mike not only needs, he deserves.
