Here's Who Does — and Mostly Doesn't — Make It Out of It Chapter Two Alive

Forgive me for using this real-life photo of actor and director Xavier Dolan, rather than an image of the character he plays in the film: the doomed Adrian Mellon, who is the first big death in It Chapter Two. But, actually, it's probably for the best, considering Pennywise takes a giant, great-white-shark-sized bite out of his side not long after we're introduced to him.

If you haven't read the book, Adrian and his boyfriend Don Hagarty (Taylor Frey) are enjoying themselves at Derry's annual carnival when they run into a group of violent, homophobic teenagers who start pelting them with insults after seeing them kiss. Don convinces Adrian to leave, and the pair begin discussing their plans for the future, which include leaving their small town and escaping to a big city.

Sadly, their hopes are dashed when the homophobic group follows them out of the carnival and beats each to a pulp. Adrian, the more vocal of the two, spits in the face of his tormentors, leading them to throw his body off the bridge nearby. He lands in the water and his near-lifeless body is dragged to shore by . . . Pennywise. Who then eats him in front of Don. It's brutal.

If you think It director Andy Muschietti is above killing multiple children on screen, then consider yourself very, very wrong! There are multiple fliers all over town showing missing children, as well as a few deeply disturbing flashbacks to dead Georgie (one of which sees adult Bill, played by James McAvoy, having to drown his screaming younger brother).

Another notable tragic death goes down when adorable little girl Victoria (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), who has a birthmark on her cheek, is lured below the bleachers of a little league game by Pennywise. He proceeds to befriend her by bonding over how they're both ostracized for their appearances. He gets her to lean in, and then CHOMP — he unhinges his jaw and she's gone.

The scariest of all the kid deaths in the sequel has to be that of Dean (Luke Roessler), who interacts with both adult Richie (Bill Hader) in a hilarious scene in a Chinese restaurant, as well as adult Bill, who finds out Dean now lives in his old home. He warns Dean to steer clear of the "voices" in his drain, but Pennywise tracks him to the carnival's hall of mirrors. Bill tries to save him but it's no use — the clown eats Dean in a spectacular spray of blood and guts right in front of him.

Yes, Derry's most homicidal bully is back. The adult Henry Bowers has been committed to an institution in town, but escapes with the help of the rotting, animated corpse of his former friend, Patrick Hockstetter (who looks truly terrifying, for what it's worth). He attempts to thwart the Losers on their mission to kill Pennywise, going so far as to stab Eddie through the cheek. Bowers later goes after Mike Hanlon (Isaiah Mustafa) in the library, but Richie arrives just in time to chop Bowers in the back with an ax, killing him. Woof.

Just like everyone else in the Losers Club, the adult version of Stanley Uris (played by Andy Bean, who looks like a carbon copy of young star Wyatt Oleff) gets a call from Mike informing him that Pennywise has started killing again in Derry 27 years after their first brush with death. Stan, knowing he's not strong enough to face the clown again, and realising that he'll only make his group of friends weaker, decides to kill himself before even going to Derry to hear everyone out. It's a tragic scene of sacrifice, and the film later attempts to shade in his reasoning with flashbacks to young Stan.

OK, this death still hurts. The sarcastic, fast-talking, hypochondriac Eddie makes it almost all the way to the end of the film alive, but the final confrontation with Pennywise leaves him with a mortal chest wound in the clown's underground sewer lair. He dies saving his best friend Richie, who is hypnotized by Pennywise's "deadlights" and can't move, by throwing a spear at the clown's massive spider-like form. Though it's enough to spare Richie's life and the other Losers, Pennywise responds by impaling Eddie and the group has no choice but to leave his body there after an emotional goodbye while he bleeds out. Damn you, Stephen King!

The silver lining of Eddie's tragic death is that Pennywise, the patron saint of caked foundation and orange box dye, gets his in the end, too. The Losers successfully perform the Ritual of Chüd to weaken the clown, and are then able to destroy him for good when they declare they're no longer afraid of him. He's driven into a corner of his cave, until finally he's just a pathetic puddle of goop that turns to dust. Bye, bye, Pennywise.

At this point I imagine you're reading this like, "Damn, does anyone make it out of this movie alive?" and I promise they do. Essentially all of the main characters survive — Mike, Richie, Bill, Beverly, and Ben — and are able to move on from their trauma following Pennywise's defeat. Here's where they end up:

• Mike: The historian of the bunch gets to give up his post at the library and presumably drives out of town towards Florida, where he's always wanted to live.
• Richie: We can assume Richie continues his career as a successful up-and-coming comedian post-Derry. It also seems like he's able to accept his sexuality, as well as his unresolved feelings for Eddie.
• Bill: Unlike in the book, Bill's wife Audra never travels to Derry or is terrorized by Pennywise in the film. She's still an actress, though, and we get a glimpse of her working with Bill on a horror movie based on his latest book. The end of the sequel shows him presumably still with Audra (though she doesn't appear onscreen), moving on from what happened by working on a new novel in his home's study.
• Beverly: Beverly grows up to become a famous fashion designer and get married, but her husband ends up being just as violent and abusive as her father. The trip to Derry, though obviously traumatic in many ways, does give Beverly a fresh start — she finds the strength to leave her husband and move on romantically with Ben.
• Ben: Is Ben not the best?! The adorable New Kids on the Block fan becomes a hunky, incredibly successful architect, and has held on to his crush on Bev all these years. They share a kiss at the end of the film, and their last scene shows them happily sharing a cocktail on a yacht together.

So, there you have it! That's who does (and doesn't) survive Pennywise's murderous, final reign of terror in Derry.