Hated when Stan killed himself - It (1990) Discussion

[–] sflowers539 9 years ago

That was unfortunate but it is not an uncommon reaction (not to go as far as to kill yourself but becoming way more risk adverse as you age). Even looking back at myself I did things like change careers to a risky job in the height of the 08' recession and rocked the boat regarding specific situations which I look back and think I must have been nuts. Sometimes in the moment you do things and fear does not register at the time even though it logically should have. Stan fought with his friends as a kid but as an adult when he understood the situation more, and had more time to think about it, he made a logical choice to die on his own terms rather then risk facing IT and maybe get locked into the dead lights possibly forever.

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[–] AlGranthamMusic 9 years ago

Given the fact that boy Stan was by far the most resistant to accepting the supernatural, I'd imagine he also probably took it the worst.

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[–] juliemarkmarshall 9 years ago

What is more tragic is the real life suicide at age 27 of Johnathan Brandis who played young Bill.
So much talent. RIP.

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[–] bobbiekaye69 9 years ago

Interesting point. I personally have a hard time finding it tragic when someone who is rich, famous, talented, and has the world at his (or her) feet commits suicide, either intentionally, or through drug overdose.

Most of us have plenty of problems in our lives. We just work hard to overcome them. I don't have a lot of sympathy for those who take the coward's way out.

I'm sorry for his family, his friends, and his fans. But he made a choice. Not tragic that he died, just sad that he saw no better choice.

I intend to live forever.
So far, so good.

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[–] AlGranthamMusic 9 years ago

Apparently he was drinking really heavily at the time. Agree with your general sentiment, but drugs and alcohol can really muddle things up.

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[–] Cirtcele 9 years ago

I can not agree. It's always tragic when anyone dies before their time, no matter the circumstances.

He didn't have the world at his feet, and he wasn't terribly rich, and it wouldn't have mattered if he did/was. He starred in a popular TV series as a late teenager,
and then his roles started to dry up as he got older. For better and worse, his Teen Bop magazine days were over so his struggle wasn't as well-known or documented as other stars' are, so most of his suffering was in private and there wasn't much public sympathy to help motivate him. Probably very easy for him to have felt forgotten.

Most of us do have plenty of problems, but most can't imagine having spent their childhood garnering a certain kind of "success" (love, money, experiences, etc.) + lifestyle that the majority (whether they be children or adults) aren't used to, only for that to gradually evaporate (and in Brandis' case, that happened without any newsworthy antics). And having spent most of your fundamental years being miles ahead of your peers, yet behind in some regards. It can be an odd combination.
It's also easy to freeze at the fear when you aren't aware of, or don't have the willpower to pursue, other routes so late in the game.

Not to mention there are plenty of things that could've happened behind closed doors, in his case.

He was a great, young talent. I wish he was still here.

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[–] CatrionaM 9 years ago

It doesn't seem many people view Justin Bieber that way.

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[–] libby2130 9 years ago

all these stories coming out about boys "being passed around",,,we don't know what happened to him,he certainly wasn't rich and no body was hiring him anymore...sad how he ended up

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[–] stench_blossom 9 years ago

You should really educate yourself on suicide and mental health!

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[–] GirlwonderReturns 9 years ago

Interesting point. I personally have a hard time finding it tragic when someone who is rich, famous, talented, and has the world at his (or her) feet commits suicide, either intentionally, or through drug overdose.

Most of us have plenty of problems in our lives. We just work hard to overcome them. I don't have a lot of sympathy for those who take the coward's way out.

I'm sorry for his family, his friends, and his fans. But he made a choice. Not tragic that he died, just sad that he saw no better choice.

How's the view from way up there on that high horse of yours?

It is the height of idiocy to judge a stranger's experience and deem that person a coward undeserving of sympathy when you know jack shìt about their lives or experiences. Everyone's story is different, everyone's experience in life is different. If someone YOU love ever takes his or her own life, I sure as hell hope you don't go looking for any sympathy. After all - that person was just a coward. Right?

What makes you think Brandis was all that rich? Are you one of those people who just assumes that all actors make millions? Because they don't. And was he really that famous? He was talented, yes, but the whole reason he became despondent was that his career was struggling. Hardly sounds like a kid with "the world at his feet". He got used, chewed up and spit out by the Hollywood machine. He DOES deserve sympathy, but ass holes like you want to claim some kind of moral superiority as if everyone can be painted with the same brush.

The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.

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[–] bobbiekaye69 9 years ago

Wow, did you forget to take your meds?

People endure all kinds of hell in their lives. Most of us don't kill ourselves. No, I can't comprehend what was going through his mind, but regardless, it was the coward's way out. There is always another choice.

And who are you to be judging me for my opinion? Mine is just as valid as yours. And by the way, the instant you descended to calling me names, your credibility vanished.

I intend to live forever.
So far, so good.

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[–] GirlwonderReturns 9 years ago

And by the way, the instant you descended to calling me names, your credibility vanished.

The instant you lumped everyone's experiences in as the same, you lost yours. He was a human being and you didn't know him. You have no right to call him a coward. Maybe he had mental health issues. Or does that not matter to you? If he did, it's like calling someone a coward for dying of cancer rather than beating it. And again, just wait till it's someone YOU love. I'm sure you'll give a lovely speech at the funeral about what a coward that person was.

The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.

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[–] bobbiekaye69 9 years ago

Look, Lady, it almost happened, not to someone I love, but to me. I went through a very severe depression, and I knew that suicide was an option.

At age 40, I'd gotten pregnant for the first time, and then I lost the baby. I hit rock bottom. I did have loved ones to look after me, and after seeing a psychiatrist and being given an anti-depressant, I finally began to get better.

But at my very lowest, I knew I wouldn't do it, because I didn't want my loved ones to suffer. It was a horrible loss for me, and I knew I couldn't do the same to them.

So you see, I am in a position to have an opinion.

I intend to live forever.
So far, so good.

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[–] GirlwonderReturns 9 years ago

I'm sorry for your experience, but your experience is not his, or anyone else's. Until you can live inside someone else's head, don't judge. I have been horribly depressed myself. I also suffer from two different anxiety disorders. At one point in my life I was practically a shut in. I didn't choose suicide either, but that doesn't make me any better than those who do. A friend of mine just took his own life last year after struggling with post-combat PTSD. He left behind a wife and a baby girl. He was not a coward. He was a troubled person who was not offered the help he needed, and the world is a dimmer place for his absence.

Your experience does not make you an expert on anyone else's. That I am still alive is fùcking miraculous, but I don't sit on a high horse thinking that because I found a way to cope with my problems, anyone else who didn't is cowardly. That is a horrible way to think... the smugness is suffocating.

(Also: I find it very interesting that someone who proudly proclaims about how she overcame depression in part by taking meds would use an insult like "forget to take your meds?" Very interesting indeed.)

The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.

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[–] T-eschberger 8 years ago

I personally have a hard time finding it tragic when someone who is rich, famous, talented, and has the world at his (or her) feet commits suicide, either intentionally, or through drug overdose.

Yup. Everyone know rich people aren't people. 

You have pathetically sad understanding of depression and suicide.

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[–] tad-32 8 years ago

Wow, you're cold as ice.
Suicide is not something that someone does on a lark, it's kinda FINAL.
And considering how good he could be at his performances, it is tragic.

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[–] nacham81 8 years ago

That was the point. Stan was nothing without the support of his friends. When he realized the reality of IT and didn't have his friends to support him....he crumbled. That inate failure in his character was the entire purpose of his character.

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[–] GirlwonderReturns 8 years ago

That was the point. Stan was nothing without the support of his friends. When he realized the reality of IT and didn't have his friends to support him....he crumbled. That inate failure in his character was the entire purpose of his character.

Not sure where you get this from. It had nothing to do with him being "nothing without the support of his friends". Stan in the book was a logical, mature kid with a well-ordered mind, but he was not a coward in any sense. Sure, he was afraid, but they were all afraid. Stan struggled mightily with the reality of It because Its existence went against his sense of logic and order. As he said in the book, it wasn't that it frightened him, so much, but that it OFFENDED him. It has also been suggested that he was more aware of the true gravity of the situation than any of the others (I still maintain that he seemed to have had a touch of clairvoyance beyond any that the others may have had, although that opinion does not appear to be a popular one around here). But again, no idea why you would surmise that he killed himself because he was "nothing" without his friends. His friends were all going to be there anyway, meaning he would have had their full support, so for him to kill himself because he didn't have them at that moment really makes no sense.

The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.

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[–] lrdcharlton 8 years ago

I was always under the impression that his clairvoyance was what led him to kill himself. Yes, the existence of the entity offended his logic, but it still frightened more than the others. I do honestly think if he had been with his friends he would have not killed himself as he may not ave Ben nothing, but the book tells us that The Losers were stronger when together. However, at that moment he was told what happened, he as processing it with the mind of an adult, an adult that didn't remember the circumstances until her was told by Mike.

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[–] Bernnard_Black 8 years ago

In the book, anyway, when they all promise to come back, Stan says he promises but looks away as he says it, sort of implying that even then he's not sure he can do it again. It offended him, it scared him, and after finally seeing It "for real", he KNEW what it was really about...it wasn't theory. And because he's highly logical and possessed of what Mike called "an ordered mind", the memories came back to him right away when Mike called him. He couldn't deal with it, so he killed himself. Later in the book when they confront It for the second time, one of the characters (Bill, I think?) says to himself "no wonder Stan killed himself! Oh, God, I wish I had!" Who knows what any of them would have done as adults if they'd remembered everything the way Stan did?

Whores will have their trinkets.

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[–] stevegrayston-75-221538 8 years ago

i thought it was extremely well done in the film. i mean he would rather kill himself then do what the viewer is about to do and go back and face it ! creepy as fkck !

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[–] TrollFiend 8 years ago

Bobbiekaye... You have to stop. This is cruel and wrong

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[–] bobbiekaye69 8 years ago

My last post on this thread was almost a month ago.

I intend to live forever.
So far, so good.

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[–] Corky666 8 years ago

I love when you post

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[–] bobbiekaye69 8 years ago

Corky, my favorite stalker!

I intend to live forever.
So far, so good.

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[–] Corky666 8 years ago

Marry me????

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[–] bobbiekaye69 8 years ago

I'm afraid my new husband might object!

I intend to live forever.
So far, so good.

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[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] chouse1020 8 years ago

wow, now that's about the creepiest thing I've ever seen on IMDB - and I've seen a lot over the years.

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[–] bobbiekaye69 8 years ago

Don't mind Corky! I'm used to stalkers on various public forums.

I intend to live forever.
So far, so good.

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[–] Corky666 8 years ago

Hey IDIOT, MIND YOUR OWN BIZNESS, BOBBIE IS MINE

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[–] mjschwar-1 8 years ago

I read the book when it was relatively new and loved it. Just re-watched the miniseries, which I wasn't crazy about at the time, and was surprised by how much of both had stuck with me.

Stan's suicide has always been a sticking point for me, namely because I see it as more of a plot device than the actions of a well-defined character. In the novel his death comes much, much earlier, and serves to kick off the action and ratchet up the tension, sure, but then creates problems that ripple throughout the rest of the story. Stan's easily the least developed character of the seven, and young Stan is so forced into the background that I finished the novel wondering why he, out of all of them, would be the one to commit suicide. One of the hackier parts of the narrative, IMO.

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[–] Bernnard_Black 8 years ago

I totally agree. I liked the character, but he was definitely the least developed. Stan is the only one, for example, who we never have any interaction with his parents or home life. He has no real POV story other than the kids at the standpipe scenario, and it's the shortest of the ones we get. It always struck me as odd that it was Stan who had the idea to do the "blood oath" to promise to come back, but even then he had doubts he could do it. Not a huge weakness, but I think his death would have hit home harder had he been fleshed out a bit more in the story.

Whores will have their trinkets.

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