Plot: Set twenty-seven years before the events of the movie, the residents of Derry face the ancient evil plaguing the Maine town, which presents itself in the guise of Pennywise the Clown.
Review: The resurgence of Stephen King adaptations continues in a year that has seen the release of The Monkey, The Long Walk, The Life of Chuck, The Institute, and the upcoming The Running Man. The HBO prequel series It: Welcome To Derry may be the most anticipated of them all. Returning to the world of the 2017 feature film and its sequel, Welcome to Derry goes back in time to the cycle of Pennywise’s rampage in the titular town during 1962, serving as an origin story for many characters and their parents, whom we met in the movies. Digging into the thousand pages of King’s novel and expanding on mentions of the town’s history, Welcome to Derry is a worthy complement to the movies, boasting an original story that features the same style of scares, along with connections to other works in Stephen King’s expansive literary universe. It also sheds new light on the origin of what Pennywise actually is, providing a unique addition to It that honors Stephen King’s original book.
With the It films shifting their time period from 1959 to 1989, Welcome to Derry moves twenty-seven years earlier to 1962. In accordance with the lore of the novel, the series features many characters who are seen as adults in the 2017 film. Of these characters, many family names will resonate with fans of the book and movies, including Hanlon, Marsh, Uris, Bowers, and Kersh, to name a few. The Hanlon family gets a significant role in the series as young Will (Blake Cameron James) moves to town with his parents, Charlotte (Taylour Paige) and Leroy (Jovan Adepo). Leroy is a military officer brought to town by General Shaw (James Remar) to participate in a covert operation that also involves Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk). Fans of the novel will know that Dick Hallorann is a key character from The Shining who was name-checked as being part of Mike Hanlon’s grandfather’s survival at the fire that burned down The Black Spot nightclub. This major Derry event fueled Pennywise during that cycle. As Pennywise awakens from his three-decade slumber, the kids of Derry begin to see horrible things and must learn to fight back. But, this time around, it is not only the kids who are aware of what horrors lurk in the Maine town.
In the films, the adults forget about things as they grow up or leave Derry, but this series offers an original explanation for how some remember the monstrous reign of Pennywise. Without spoiling any of the twists and turns fans have in store for them, Welcome to Derry follows the formula of the movies in which various kids around town are subjected to their worst nightmares come to life as they band together to survive. The series also shows us the real-world horrors of racism still rampant in the early 1960s, combined with the supernatural terrors growing in town. This includes the local indigenous people, who have served as guardians of the land before Derry even existed, such as Rose (Kimberly Norris Guerrero), who knows more about the true nature of Pennywise than anyone else. By combining narrative angles of children and adults who must all endure the terrors of It, Welcome to Derry balances the jump scares of the movie with world-building that keeps this story growing across a full season of storytelling. Having seen five of the eight episodes of It: Welcome to Derry, I am fully invested in this story, which remains true to the tone and feel of the movies without being a carbon copy.
Through the first five episodes, It: Welcome to Derry is chock-full of easter eggs to other works by Stephen King, as well as films based on his writings. These are a treat to pick out of multiple scenes, but it is also the unique scares that distinguish Welcome to Derry. Like in the films, the monstrous creations are heavily CGI in nature, which blends their frightening nature with a sense of childlike nightmares. There is also just a hint of Pennywise’s presence, with Bill Skarsgard‘s eventual debut as the clown looming after haunting the town’s denizens, a wait that is a bit longer in this series than it was on the big screen. Nevertheless, the build-up to finally seeing Skarsgard back in costume is worth the wait, as the other scares along the way are pretty good. I would have preferred more physical effects work, but I still enjoyed the caliber of the production values here that are easily on par with the movies. It also helps that the cast is more than up to the task of fully inhabiting this fictional world, especially Taylour Paige, Chris Chalk, and Jovan Adepo. The kid actors are also impressive, with the ensemble doing great work even if they don’t immediately connect the way the Loser’s Club did in the feature films.
Andy Muschietti returns to direct the first two episodes of the series, followed by Andrew Bernstein (The Outsider) on episodes three and four, with Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr (Shogun) on the fifth. Andy Muschietti shares credit for creating the series alongside his sister, producer Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs (Pan). Fuchs serves as co-showrunner alongside Brad Caleb Kane (Crystal Lake), with the pair sharing credit on two episodes, while Kane is credited solo on one episode and Fuchs on two. The rest of the writing team includes Austin Guzman, Guadalis Del Carmen & Gabe Hobson, Helen Shang, and Cord Jefferson (Station Eleven, Watchmen). Fuchs and the Muschiettis have delivered a prequel that connects the historical period of the early 1960s to this story in a way that feels like Stephen King himself could have written it, and that is a compliment of the highest order. I am incredibly impressed that the marketing push for the series has also avoided any major reveals or twists, maintaining the integrity of the premiere episode and the direction this series takes as an early Halloween treat.
Countless series have proven the challenge it takes to adapt a franchise or feature film for the small screen, especially one with a dedicated fanbase. It: Welcome to Derry is as far from a cash grab as a series could be, with a story worth investing in that not only adds to the established tale but also improves the experience of what came before it. Welcome to Derry is good enough to have been subtitled Chapter Zero or Chapter Three with how seamlessly it connects to the original adaptations. The scares are plentiful, and the expansion of the title town makes Welcome to Derry another stellar HBO original series. This is the best of the short list of projects inspired by Stephen King. I am looking forward to the planned additional seasons that will delve even deeper into the origin of Pennywise. I am even more excited to see how much everyone enjoys this series once it debuts. You have no idea the tricks and treats you are in store for.
It: Welcome to Derry premieres on October 26th on HBO.
