Welcome to Derry’ Is a Harrowing Enlargement of Stephen King’s Story

By now, Stephen King’s It wants no introduction. The 1986 novel was a best-seller; the Andy Muschietti films, launched in 2017 and 2019, have been hits; and the 1990 miniseries starring Tim Curry is a cult basic. Pennywise has a burnished place within the horror villain corridor of fame; others might come shut, however there’s no scarier clown within the style.

Into this well-worn territory wades HBO’s It: Welcome to Derry, a prequel to Muschietti’s movies that turns the clock again 27 years, in line with Pennywise’s visitation cycle, exploring the small city of Derry, Maine, in 1962. There are additionally a handful of flashbacks to even earlier eras throughout the primary 5 episodes (of eight whole), which io9 seen for the needs of this spoiler-free evaluate.

It falls on Welcome to Derry’s creators—government producer Andy Muschietti, who additionally directs a number of episodes; government producer Barbara Muschietti; and government producers Brad Caleb Kane and Jason Fuchs, who’re additionally co-showrunners and writers—to steadiness “stuff we already know” (which is so much, together with the truth that Pennywise survives for a number of future cycles) and “new stuff,” bringing in contemporary characters and drama that makes it value spending extra time inside Derry’s grim borders.

“Grim” may not be a robust sufficient phrase. Consistent with the basic small cities that populate King’s writing, Derry is healthful at first look—nevertheless it doesn’t take a lot for the ugliness to begin poking via.

A few of that is because of Pennywise’s malevolent affect, which has each bodily and psychological results on the inhabitants. Persons are meaner, extra short-tempered. It looks like at any given second, one thing terrible would possibly occur—as a result of it typically does.

And a few of that’s exacerbated by Welcome to Derry’s early-Sixties setting. Even in comparatively progressive Maine, the racism that the concurrent civil rights motion was preventing in opposition to nonetheless reveals its face, and Chilly Conflict unease, particularly nuclear fears, is current in all places. There are additionally extra intimate small-town cruelties, together with abusive dad and mom and teenage imply ladies, that underline the truth that It’s dominating theme of the lack of innocence isn’t solely all the way down to supernatural causes.

As we’ve seen in earlier It-adjacent works, the younger forged is the central focus of Welcome to Derry’s story. The present’s jaw-dropping first scene—the opening moments of which occur in a movie show, the place the 1962 hit The Music Man warns us in no unsure phrases that “we’ve obtained hassle”—establishes that stunning issues can and can occur.

That carries via your complete pilot episode, which lets the viewer know in no unsure phrases that there is no such thing as a mercy to be discovered right here. The unique story, in fact, brings again the younger characters as adults in its second half. Welcome to Derry doesn’t have that security internet. We don’t know who’ll make it via.

With a tense tone punctuated by moments of brutal chaos locked into place, Welcome to Derry units about introducing the varied plots that can interweave all through the season. And there are so much competing for consideration, even in an eight-part sequence with episodes that common just below an hour every.

Lifeless heart are the awkward misfits of Derry Excessive College who kind a type of proto-Losers Membership buddy group. The younger actors are tasked with quite a lot of emotional heavy lifting as Pennywise targets them one after the other, and sadly some have stronger chops than others.

That stated, Blake James, as confirmed science geek Will Hanlon, is a standout among the many child forged, and the grownup performers are across-the-board glorious. The Hanlons are new on the town—Main Leroy Hanlon (3 Physique Drawback‘s Jovan Adepo) has simply been transferred to the close by Air Drive base, along with his household, together with spouse Charlotte (The Poisonous Avenger‘s Taylour Paige) in tow—and their rapid-fire immersion in Derry’s distinctive atmosphere helps give all of the storylines a typical anchor. (Their final identify additionally hyperlinks them to future Losers Membership member Mike Hanlon.)

Main Hanlon is recruited right into a top-secret intelligence scheme cooked up by Normal Shaw (Dexter‘s James Remar), the wild particulars of which we gained’t reveal right here, aside from that it’s geographically particular to Derry and in addition includes an airman named Dick Hallorann (Gotham‘s Chris Chalk). If you happen to’re in any respect acquainted with King’s work, you realize Hallorann brings some distinctive expertise to the desk—and that he, like Pennywise, is nearly the one character we are able to assume will survive, since we all know he’s wanted in The Shining.

Different key gamers embrace Ingrid (12 Monkeys‘ Madeleine Stowe), who works at Derry’s Juniper Hill Asylum; Derry’s police chief, Clint Bowers (The Expanse‘s Peter Outerbridge); a secondhand-shop proprietor named Rose (Outer Vary‘s Kimberly Guerrero); and Hank Grogan (Luke Cage‘s Stephen Rider), a single dad whose life takes a significantly sideways flip.

Of all the brand new characters, Rose is essentially the most fascinating. A member of Derry’s Indigenous neighborhood, she has distinctive perception into the world’s historical past, bringing deeper context to the occasions not simply of Welcome to Derry but additionally the It films and novel. Beforehand, our lens on Derry’s resident monster was principally focused on the Losers Membership; we watched them confront Pennywise as youngsters, then battle to recall the experiences that slipped away after they left Derry behind.

In contrast, Welcome to Derry digs into the influence Pennywise has had on the land going again generations, drawing on flashbacks from King’s novel but additionally exploring new elements of Derry’s legacy of evil.

Because the pressure behind that evil, Pennywise (Invoice Skarsgård) makes his presence identified proper from the beginning, although Muschietti and firm properly maintain again on the large reveal till a second when it makes most influence. You realize what Pennywise appears to be like like, and you realize he’s coming, nevertheless it’s nonetheless terrifying when he seems.

However even with a toothy clown ready within the wings, Welcome to Derry’s most scary elements may be its moments of real-world anxiousness—heightened by Pennywise’s ambient unhealthy vibes, in fact, however nonetheless happening exterior the realm of the supernatural. On her first stroll down Derry’s essential avenue, Charlotte Hanlon—a born activist, although her husband would actually choose she didn’t make waves—can’t cease herself from getting between a bunch of bullies and their hapless goal. It’s not lengthy earlier than she realizes this picturesque place has its share of disagreeable issues.

Elsewhere, excessive schooler Lilly (Clara Stack), already tagged with the nickname “Loony Lilly” due to her psychological well being struggles, is threatened with a return to Juniper Hill by adults who’d relatively exploit her fragility than defend her from extra hurt.

Normal Shaw’s huge plan can also be fairly plainly extraordinarily defective. He’s not a villain by any means, however he’s pointing in a misguided path, and he has worrisome quantities of energy backing him up.

And, as we watch Hallorann and his friends excitedly repair up an deserted constructing close to the bottom—a much-needed clubhouse of kinds the place Black troopers can collect and let off steam—sure salient items come into focus. If you happen to’ve seen the It films or learn the ebook, you realize what this place is and what’s going to occur there. However even when you’re utterly unaware, the dread oozing off the display screen is inescapable. Welcome to Derry certainly.

It: Welcome to Derry premieres October 26 on HBO.

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