IT: Welcome to Derry (Season 1)

There is a tendency in pop culture to eventually provide an overexposed villain with a sympathetic angle, which brings the focus onto them rather than their victims. The creature known as IT, is malevolence incarnate. An evil that is unknowable, untameable, and unburdened by human emotions. Anything you think IT is “feeling” is a mere projection. IT is a lethal, remorseless evil predator and IT: Welcome to Derry never lets the viewer forget that.

Even if you do not count yourself among Stephen King’s Constant Readers, HBO’s IT: Welcome to Derry is a ghoulish treat that will surprise, terrify, and shock even the most unshakeable horror fan.

Set 27 years before the events of the movie and novel, Welcome to Derry tells the story of the 1962 cycle that preceded that of Bill, Richie, Beverley, and the rest of the Losers’ Gang. There are new characters introduced, and some we know already. Most prominent among the familiar faces, or at least names, you may recognize is Dick Hallorann, played here by Chris Chalk, from The Shining.

Dick is joined by Major Leroy Hanlon (Jovan Adeppo) and tasked by General Shaw (James Remar) with finding Pennywise. For reasons that become clear, the United States Air Force is mighty interested in harnessing a “natural” weapon of mass destruction and thinks Pennywise can be controlled in spreading fear to our enemies. We know different, which makes these scenes a slow burn toward what we know will be an eventual reckoning and likely annihilation.

Derry may look like an idyllic small town, but it is a pretty terrible place. It has been infected with the evil of Pennywise for so long that the town and the clown are symbiotic. The citizens of Derry turn a blind eye to atrocities and will happily engage in vigilante violence and lynching at a moment’s notice. Dozens of people go missing during a Pennywise cycle, but thanks to the fog of Derry, few are too concerned, and once the cycle end,s most simply forget anything ever happened. Returning director Andy Muschietti and writer Jason Fuchs understand this material and unearth unexpected corners that even Stephen King was reportedly impressed by.

Pennywise preys on children and Welcome to Derry introduces several memorable kids into the mix. The show does a better job balancing out the various characters to the point where it’s difficult to point to a “lead” when they all have several moments to shine. The three co-leads then would be Will Hanlon (Blake Cameron James), Lilly Bainbridge (Clara Stack), and Ronnie Grogan (Amanda Christine). These three, along with others, are the new (old?) Loser’s Gang and end up just as heroic as Bill’s group.

What works so well is that these children are 12 or 13, and the actors are roughly the same age. They act like kids, they move like kids, and when they are terrified, you feel it and cannot help but fear for them. Truly visceral terror is a difficult thing to capture on scree,n but Welcome to Derry is saturated in dread and terror for maximum impact, and that makes all the difference in horror.

Be warned, this is a DARK show full of horror. Extremely gory, no-holds-barred violence, and the campaign of terror that Pennywise conducts against victims is unrelenting. Children die…horribly. In many ways, this is an even more vicious Pennywise than we have seen before. The effect Pennywise has on the characters is palpable, and there is no false bravado when face-to-face with him. People react exactly how you would react when faced with monsters from your worst fears and a gore-soaked demonic clown with an impossible mouth full of fangs.

True terror is a difficult thing to convey on screen, but it makes all the difference when watching a tale of horror. There is no point in the extraordinary and terrifying IT: Welcome to Derry, where you don’t viscerally feel the terror of the characters as they are forced to confront the cosmic horror of IT.

Surprisingly, but smartly, Pennywise doesn’t actually appear on screen clearly until the 5th episode. His reveal is worth waiting for and signifies a significant upshift in tempo and terror. Once again, Bill Skarsgard embodies the clown with playful menace and the ability to switch from teasing to homicidal in a moment. At no point do you feel comfortable when Pennywise is on screen, which is as it should be.

I should mention that the one negative I have is with the sometimes cartoonish CGI effects. This is a carryover style from the movies, and I didn’t like it there either. The practical effects are top drawer, and the realistic CGI is well done. I just don’t get on with the Looney Toons look that Andy Muschietti uses for many of the creature effects. I can get past this, and if it does bother you in the first episode, I encourage you to stick with the show anyway because it does get better.

The surprises of the show are built into it from the start. From the shocking first scene through to the jaw-dropping finale of the first episode, IT: Welcome to Derry is designed to keep the viewer off guard, and it succeeds tremendously. This return to Derry is the nightmare fans have been waiting for.