IT: Welcome To Derry is a terrifying exploration of the lore of Pennywise the Dancing Clown, offering more insight, and more scares.
As someone who is scared of clowns quite literally because of Pennywise, I am not sure why I hit play on IT: Welcome To Derry, but here we are. In all honesty though, I love to be scared and this series terrified me, but it also offers so much more.
It should be noted that this review is based solely on the first five episodes of IT: Welcome To Derry.
Expanding On & Exploring The Lore
Like I said, I love to be scared, and IT: Welcome To Derry delivers on that side of things. But it really does so much more. Those who are big fans of Andy Muschietti’s IT films will be pleased to know that he keeps the same vibes, while also deepening the story.
Of course he explores a lot of the themes from Stephen King’s book more in depth as well, but what he tells is the story of this creature, how it arrived in Derry, why it remains in Derry, and how it is has terrorized Derry’s residents since it arrived. This is something we got a small peak into in IT Chapter Two, but this series goes even deeper into it all.
Because of the time periods that IT: Welcome To Derry takes place in, there is also a lot of racism that is present throughout the storytelling. This is especially heartbreaking because it is impossible not to think about how people of color are still treated this way by some, many years later in 2025.
While this is not the main plot of the series, it is a prominent and important plot, which I thought was necessary. If racism was just ignored even though the story takes place in a time when it was everywhere, that would make no sense at all. I am glad it was not erased.
Exploring Loser’s Clubs Of The Past
One of the things that I enjoyed the most about IT: Welcome To Derry is getting to know the Loser’s Clubs of the past. If you have seen the trailers than you know there are a lot of children in the show. We learn that the Loser’s Club from IT Chapter One was not the first, which makes perfect sense because of course these kids have been standing up for themselves when the adults in the neighborhood wouldn’t during every one of Pennywise’s cycle.
I do not want to go into it too much, because there are so many major plot points and I would hate to spoil something, but just know that these kids are great, and it was a joy to watch them on screen, even if they were being, well, terrorizes.
Which leads me to the “nightmare sequences” as I like to call them. There are just the right amount of them and yes, the are deeply unsettling, terrifying, and completely and utterly horrific at times. They are scary, as they should be, always leaving me watching through my fingers. And yes, they start pretty quickly so buckle up and get ready.
Overall Thoughts
IT: Welcome To Derry is the perfect continuation, or should I say prequel, to the IT films. Bill Skarsgård is back and scarier than ever. Even just the sound of his voice sends shivers down my spine and don’t even get me started on when we see him as Pennywise in clown form. No. Thank. You.
The stories that are being told throughout the series are compelling and captivating. As much as this entity scares me, it is exciting to get to learn more about it, and its reasons for being in Derry for so long.
About IT: Welcome To Derry
Following the events in the 1960s, the time leading up to the events of the first film in the Stephen King “It” series.
IT: Welcome To Derry premieres October 26 on HBO Max.
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IT: Welcome To Derry is a terrifying exploration of the lore of Pennywise the Dancing Clown, offering more insight, and more scares.
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Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.