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Film Theory: Is PENNYWISE In A Wrinkle In Time? (Stephen King Connected Universe Theory)

Jun 06, 2021
If you thought Deadpool being Ernest Hemmingway was one of the channel's most outlandish theories, we'll brace ourselves because you haven't seen anything yet. What if I told you that the biggest horror movie of 2017 is the lost sequel to the biggest kids movie of 2018? Yes. Pennywise and Wrinkle In Time are

connected

. Now I can see you frowning across the screen; impatient for some kind of explanation. Well, get ready because, in the words of Oprah: I'm going to be a warrior Oprah and give you an explanation. YOU GET AN EXPLANATION AND YOU GET AN EXPLANATION AND YOU GET AN EXPLANATION!!
film theory is pennywise in a wrinkle in time stephen king connected universe theory
EVERYONE GETS AN EXPLANATION!! Hello Internet! Welcome to

film

theory

. The show that proves that the quickest path from point A to point B isn't a line, but a

theory

that teleports you straight through plot holes. Ladies and gentlemen, leave your Botox at home for this one because A Wrinkle in Time looks amazing. And I'll align myself with other nerdy '90s kids to relive my dreams of folding space-

time

to save the world. Today, however, we are not here to talk about magical centaurs or the folding science of the fifth dimension. No sir! Today we are tal

king

about something else, or should I say someone else?
film theory is pennywise in a wrinkle in time stephen king connected universe theory

More Interesting Facts About,

film theory is pennywise in a wrinkle in time stephen king connected universe theory...

Someone else you may be familiar with; someone else who literally wrote the books and movies about him in the same fictional

universe

as A Wrinkle in Time. Hit the snooze button on your Android and walk past that hitchhiker because I'm not tal

king

about any of those sci-fi bigwigs. No sir. Today we talk about Stephen King. And I know you're saying, "That's it! MatPat is a couple nuts short of being a fruitcake. I DON'T believe it." And honestly, I was also very skeptical of this idea at first, but the more I looked into it and the more I dug into it, the clearer it became inarguably that the Stephen King Universe is built around the Wrinkle in Time Universe.
film theory is pennywise in a wrinkle in time stephen king connected universe theory
And in fact, you can trace the connections between them in no less than SIX books and movies. So, are you ready to see how it's done? When I'm done with you today you won't know what's R-rated horror and what's G-rated sci-fi. Which, come to think of it, will probably be tremendously traumatic for your children. Now, before we can set up our little

connected

universe

conspiracy, it's important that we know what's really going on in A Wrinkle in Time. If you haven't read the book and since this will appear before the movie, this is your chance to avoid MAJOR SPOILERS.
film theory is pennywise in a wrinkle in time stephen king connected universe theory
If I really have to give that kind of thing for a story that was written back in the '60s and that practically everyone has read at some point between the fourth and seventh grade. ANYWAY! This is your spoiler alert for the books! So it's

time

to return to this point in the episode after reading it. Very good, are you back? Excellent! The story is about Meg and her brother Charles Wallace, both super intelligent children, but Charles Wallace has additional mind-reading abilities and can see the thoughts of his sister and his mother. Kinda creepy and hopefully he'll lose that ability to his sister when he hits puberty, but whatever!
Let's continue with that. His father has mysteriously disappeared and the whole story is about how he is found and rescued from the other side of space-time. They do so when Charles Wallace befriends a mysterious old woman who lives in the woods. Public Service Announcement: DON'T DO THIS!! Lo and behold, it turns out that the creepy old woman in the woods is an interplanetary shapeshifter named Mrs. Whatsit, and no, I didn't forget her name. That's exactly what she says. So, Mrs. Whatsit, along with her two interplanetary shapeshifting friends, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which, take the two children and Meg's pseudo-boyfriend, Calvin, through space to find the child's father.
They travel faster than the speed of light using something called a tesseract. In science, tesseracts are basically a cube within a cube that you can do all kinds of super advanced math with. In A Wrinkle in Time it basically makes it so you can fold space-time and just jump through the fold to different parts of the universe. Then the children and the old Brigade bend time to travel to space. After some planet hopping, they land on a dark planet consumed by a dark force. Which the galactic witches lazily called "The Black Thing." Really creative naming system in this book.
Meg's father is fighting the Black Thing and it's the kids' job to save him. On their journey, they have to face the black thing that controls people's minds and turns everyone into drones. Charles Wallace with his special mental powers can help rescue his father, but he becomes hypnotized by "The Black Thing" and Meg has to save him. The power of love. Well, aside from that being more than enough information to write the fifth grade book report, there are some things in there that should probably sound a little familiar. Like... familiar Stephen King. In fact, I'm here to tell you that the closer you look at this story, the more you'll start to feel like maybe our friend Stevie borrowed a little creativity and made some key parts of his universe match A.
Wrinkle in Time in ways that are too direct to be an accident. Point number one! Let's start by looking at the main antagonist of A Wrinkle in Time, shall we? In the book he is known simply as The Black Thing. At least until he is called by another name: "IT." "Because wherever she looked, wherever she turned, there was the rhythm, and as she continued to monitor the systole and diastole of her heart, the entry and exit of her breath, the red miasma began to creep before her eyes again, and she was afraid of losing consciousness and, if I did, I would be completely in IT's power." There she is!
Crystal clear! Capital Letter I. Capital Letter T. "IT." And this isn't the only time they use it in the book. "IT" is used constantly throughout the novel. Now I know what you're thinking; Stephen King's "IT" is a clown named Pennywise, with cool balloons and really bad teeth. Where "IT" in A Wrinkle in Time doesn't seem to be particularly clownish. It's more cerebral pulsating telepathic. But in REALITY, the way we see these two guys in the movies is not really what they seem. In both cases, "IT" represents pure evil energy or darkness. The way we see them in the

film

is simply the form they took at the time.
I mean, just look at Pennywise in the new movie! He shaped changes from a clown to a leper to a girl who loves his flute too much. Meanwhile, in A Wrinkle in Time he goes between the black smoke and the pulsating brain, a red-eyed guy who hypnotizes Charles Wallace. So we know that both villains represent the same thing, both can shapeshift at will, and they're both from a galaxy far, far away. With Wrinkle in Time's "IT" coming from a distant planet and Stephen King's "IT" coming from his macro-verse, a dimension beyond the one the earth houses.
But the parallels don't end there. Point number two! In both stories, "IT" possesses the power of mind control. In Wrinkle in Time the mind control is really obvious. Where literally everyone is wired into the same brain, bounces the same basketballs, and eats the same macaroni and cheese. In Stephen King's "It," the force of mind control is more subtle, but it's definitely still there. No adults leave Derry even though the child murder rate is hugely inflated. "IT" is also able to control the mind of Derry bully Henry Bowers. Which brings us to point number three: the methods the kids in Wrinkle in Time use to fight "IT" are eerily similar to the Chud Ritual from Stephen King's "It." You don't really find the Ritual of Chud in the newer movie.
But if you're interested, I talk a lot more about it in the last Pennywise Theory I did. Let me say this, the novel presents it as a massive psychic battle of wills, where the children defeat "IT" by refusing to be afraid. Instead, they show confidence; humor. All emotions are fearless and as a result, “IT” cannot touch them. This will sound very familiar if you end up watching A Wrinkle in Time this weekend. Where self-confidence and refusing to give in to fear is actually what saves Calvin and Charles Wallace from the red-eyed man, one of the various forms of "IT." To resist him, Charles Wallace begins to recite nursery rhymes.
Calvin recites the Gettysburg Address. Which, when you really stopped to think about it, is another strange parallel considering Bill Denbrough, the stuttering leader of the Losers Club, finds the strength to defeat Pennywise by reciting her tongue twister. [Bill: ""He pushes his fists against the post and still insists he sees the ghost." And if that's still not enough for you, both versions of "IT" also have a soft spot for love. It's true. I mean, Think of the ending of the 2017 version of "It," where Bev snaps out of her catatonic state when Ben kisses her. Stephen King may have had a little help in that moment from a very similar moment in A Wrinkle In Time where Meg breaks.
Charles Wallace out of "IT's" spell. Not by kissing him, thankfully because they're brother and sister, but by telling him how deeply he loves him. Hmm... Similar plot points are similar. Point number four! Charles Wallace in A Wrinkle In Time appears to have psychic powers with exactly the same abilities as Stephen King's Shine ability, as does Danny Torrance in The Shining and, as I said in my last theory, the Losers Club. Eventually, Meg becomes He notices that his little brother can apparently read his mind. He quotes: "How did Charles Wallace always know about her? How could he always know?
It was her mother's mind and her Meg's that he probed with terrifying precision." End of quote. Charles Wallace in the book can also sense the evil presence of the red-eyed man before seeing him. Correctly predict who the man is trying to get to him and his brain. And it's not just Charles Wallace! When the gang finally runs into the man not using Visine, Meg realizes that she is talking to them without moving her mouth or lips at all, and instead, she is communicating. directly into his brain. Quote again: "'I've been waiting for you, darlings,' the man said.
His voice was kind and gentle, not at all the cold, frightening voice Meg had expected. It took her a moment to realize that, although the voice came from the "Man, he hadn't opened his mouth or moved his lips at all, that no real words had been spoken that reached her ears, that he had somehow communicated directly with her brains." End of quote. Now, let's take a moment to revisit Dick Hallorann from The Shining as he defines what the ability to shine is. Telepathic communication would be one thing, but it doesn't stop there. If you saw my film theory on “ “You know that Shining tends to be related to childhood trauma.
Dick Hallorann and Danny Torrance in The Shining were abused by their families. The Losers Club is bullied for being fat, Jewish, a girl, stuttering, etc. And Now look at Meg and Charles Wallace from Wrinkle In Time. Two children who have had to deal with the inexplicable disappearance of their father. I mean, even boy three, Calvin, in A Wrinkle In Time has a physically abusive mother. All the pieces are there: the children, the telepathic powers, the origin story. Of course, if A Wrinkle In Time really takes place in the same universe as "It," that means it really is taking place in the Stephen King Multiverse.
Which would imply that these two universes share the same mechanics. Enter point number five! In both the Wrinkle in Time universe and the Stephen King multiverse, characters can travel outside of their own reality while stopping time. When Meg worries that everyone at home is looking for her and Charles Wallace while they jump planets, Mrs. What'sit assures her that she has created a small

wrinkle

in time (credits) and says a quote: "We'll keep you lap". "About five minutes before you left. That way there will be plenty of time and no one will ever know you left." End of quote.
This type of freezing time while characters explore other planets and timelines fits the same rules as the time portal in Stephen King's novel 11.22.63. In that book, a man discovers a portal that takes him back in time to 1958 and no matter how long he stays in the past, when he returns to the present only two minutes have passed. I should also mention that in both A Wrinkle in Time and 11.22.63 characters can affect the events of their timeline. The Murray children managed to bring their father back, although they end up going back in time and the actions taken in the past on 11.22.63 do not change the time you arrive at but the type of world you arrive at does. again in!
For better or worse. In this case the main character, Jake Epping, discovers this fact when he returns to a nuclear holocaust. Awkward and oh yeah, if you're wondering if 11.22.63 is part of Stephen King-averse, then rest your pretty little heads, my friends. Jake Epping visits Derry, Maine and visits Beverly Marsh and Richie Tozier during his trip. Now, some of you may stillbe skeptical. Stephen King's The Multiverse and A Wrinkle In Time share many science fiction elements and themes because, well, they're both science fiction books. Sure, but what about similarities that are too close to dismiss as mere coincidence?
Things that can only coincide because they are in the same Canon. For example, point number six! In chapter six of A Wrinkle in Time, it is revealed that the three Miss Ws were once stars who took human form to act as the three guides for the children. Quote: "Meg realized that the complete and true Mrs. Whatsit was beyond human comprehension. What she saw was just the game Mrs. Whatsit was playing. "I didn't mean to tell her," Mrs. Whatsit hesitated. "I never meant to let you know, but, dear ones. I loved being a star!'" That's a pretty specific and unique concept.
Stars that can take human form and vice versa, and yet Stephen King's averse has this one too! In Chapter Eleven of Dark Tower 3 : In the Wastelands, we hear the story of Apon, Lydia, and Cassiopeia, three ancient figures who become stars. Quote: "Before time began... Old Star and Old Mother had been young, passionate newlyweds. Then one day they had a terrible argument. The old mother (who in those distant days was known by her real name, which was Lydia) had caught the Old Star (whose real name was Apon) dating a beautiful young woman named Cassiopeia... In the end, the gods had to intervene so that Apon and Lydia could not, in their anger, destroy the universe...
Cassiopeia... had been banished to a rocking chair made of stars forever and ever - Apon and Lydia disappeared three billion years ago. We have become Old Star and Old Mother, the North and the South. Each pines for the other, but now both are too proud to beg for reconciliation." End of quote. So, humans as stars and stars as humans. If it wasn't becoming eerily similar before, now you should really feel that those dots connect, but Perhaps the fundamental idea that made Wrinle in Time so unique in literature was the concept of moving through realities instantaneously. The concept of the tesseract and yet, no matter how hard I tried, it is a word that Stephen King's multiverse doesn't mention once.
So is this where the theory dies? Well... point number seven. Stephen King's multiverse has tesserations. In The Dark Tower series, certain characters They can travel through time and space using what is called "Todash". very dangerous. It is possible to become trapped between worlds in the darkness of Unidash, where monsters dwell. Meanwhile, Ms. Whatsit describes Tesseracting as making the connection between two distant things in a way that avoids the distance between them. She quotes: "Well, the fifth dimension is a tesseract. You add it to the other four dimensions and you can travel through space without having to go the long way... a straight line is not the shortest distance between two points ".
It is literally finding the

wrinkle

s in space-time and passing through the empty space they create. Exactly the way Todosh describes himself. So yes, the terms are different. Except for the whole concept we covered in the first three points of this theory. And yes, they can be used for different purposes. But it's clear that both Stephen King's Multiverse and A Wrinkle in Time share the same physical wonders, the same types of powers, and even the same quantum mechanics. Then, who knows? It certainly seems like Wrinkle in Time has all the makings of being Stephen King's lost Dark Tower novel, even though it came out about 30 years before the first.
It's like a child's Dark Tower. Dark Tower for beginners. And if so, let's think about the madness that this type of connected universe would bring us! This is the true origin story of "It"! The Origin of Pennywise! And hell, maybe "It" episode two can finally feature Oprah in the role she was born to play; Maturin the Cosmic Turtle. Did you know? A theorist can dream. BUT HEY! That's just a theory. A FILM THEORY! And..... TESSERACT!! And as you float through Todosh's space, be sure to teleport via the SUBSCRIBE button. That way, you can see what other weird movie franchise crossovers we can come up with in future theories.
And in case you missed it, the button on the right will take you to the Pennywise theory I mentioned earlier. How everyone in the Losers Club secretly shines. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to... make my way to the nearest place for lunch. Because I'm hungry.... See you next week!!

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