A single red balloon held by a hand that transitions from tattered flannel to a neat sweater sleeve, against a stormy sky over a sewer drain.
A single red balloon held by a hand that transitions from tattered flannel to a neat sweater sleeve, against a stormy sky over a sewer drain.

The Significance of the "Loser" to "Lover" Cast Change in IT (2017)

In the 2017 film adaptation of Stephen King's "IT," director Andy Muschietti made a subtle but significant change to Ben Hanscom's character that carries deep thematic weight. During the scene where Ben is bullied by Henry Bowers and his gang, the bullies carve the word "LOSER" into Ben's stomach with a knife. However, in the film, this is changed to "LOVER" - a modification that serves as a deliberate reference to the controversial ending of King's original novel.

Connecting to the Novel's Controversial Climax

The alteration from "Loser" to "Lover" directly alludes to one of the most debated scenes in Stephen King's 1986 novel. In the book's climax, after defeating Pennywise in the sewers beneath Derry, the Losers' Club engages in a sexual encounter where Beverly Marsh has intercourse with each of the male members of the group. This scene was intended by King to symbolize the transition from childhood to adulthood and to serve as a bonding ritual that would strengthen their connection before they went their separate ways.

Symbolic Transformation

The change from "Loser" to "Lover" in the film serves multiple symbolic purposes:

  1. Foreshadowing: It subtly prepares audiences familiar with the source material for the adult themes that would have been too explicit to directly adapt to screen

  2. Character Development: For Ben specifically, it transforms a moment of victimization into a marker of his future romantic connection with Beverly

  3. Thematic Consistency: It maintains the novel's exploration of childhood sexuality and the complex transition to adulthood without directly depicting the controversial scene

    4. Adaptation Choices

    The filmmakers made a conscious decision to reference rather than recreate the novel's controversial ending. By changing the carved word, they acknowledged the source material while adapting it for contemporary cinematic sensibilities. This approach allowed them to:

  4. Pay homage to King's original vision

  5. Maintain the story's emotional and thematic complexity

  6. Avoid potentially problematic explicit content

  7. Create a more subtle connection between the childhood and adult storylines

The "Lover" carving thus becomes a bridge between the film's narrative and the novel's more explicit themes, serving as both a character moment for Ben and a nod to readers who recognize the deeper significance behind the change.

The prompt for this was: In the movie IT (2017), they change the name "Loser" to "Lover" on his cast, to reference the ending of the book where Bev is gangbanged by all the guys in a sewer.

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