IT: Welcome to Derry is a masterful addition to King’s universe and a truly terrifying expansion of his work, one that feels as if it were written by his own pen.
Many horror fans rightly questioned whether an IT prequel was either needed or warranted before Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs’ IT: Welcome to Derry had even left the starting block. That was not due to any concerns regarding Muschietti’s ability to bathe us in the horror of Derry; after all, his two-part film adaptation of Stephen King’s epic novel received positive reviews. No, concerns centred more around whether this would be a pure nostalgia trip, rather than an expansion of King’s story and the associated universe. Thankfully, IT: Welcome to Derry is a masterful addition to King’s universe and a truly terrifying expansion of his work, one that feels as if it were written by his own pen.
Opening in 1962, as snow falls on Derry, Maine, a 12-year-old boy (Miles Ekhardt) decides it’s time to escape his abusive home life by hitchhiking out of town as the snow grows ever deeper. It’s not long before a family picks him up, but as we’re about to discover in spectacular fashion, this family carries a deadly secret. These opening scenes are enough to have your nerves jangling and your eyes covered before the main story has even begun in a show that revels in twists, shocks and truly breathtaking performances from a stellar young cast.
There’s a bravery in making us wait for Bill Skarsgård’s terrifying clown to appear, and it’s a bravery that isn’t misplaced from the opening scene. Add to this melting pot of horror, social commentary and coming-of-age drama the wonderful expansion of Dick Hallorann’s story, and IT: Welcome to Derry becomes one of the finest TV horror outings since the second season of Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story.
IT: Welcome to Derry is now streaming on HBO Max and Sky TV.
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