By William Wright
The Deal:
“IT: Welcome to Derry” expands the mythology of Stephen King’s most iconic nightmare haven, stepping back one cycle of fear to 1962, before the Losers Club ever formed. The series follows a group of kids grappling with trauma, town-wide rot and the lurking presence that feeds on both. What makes it work is simple: The show remembers what the book does best. A kids-versus-a-monster dynamic is always more emotionally potent, more frightening, more unfair and more tragic than adults trying to reconstruct the past. And here the series puts in the work to make us care while tearing everything apart. Excellent casting, sharp emotional stakes and occasionally stunning VFX make it easily effective.
Does it work?
Mostly! The series, directed by Andy Muschietti, stands on its own because it commits to character-first storytelling. The ensemble of kids is terrific, the show’s emotional arc is fully grounded and the visual effects deliver when they need to. Most importantly, it recaptures the primal charge of King’s best material: children fighting back against something impossibly old, cruel and cosmic. That dynamic does more than enough to justify the series’ existence.
Is it scary?
Hell yes. The reviews note that the show leans harder into dread and surreal horror than the films, using the longer format to escalate tension and build out deeply unsettling sequences. It’s meaner, more psychologically tense and often more disturbing than expected. The show occasionally dips into the adults of Derry and even the civil rights movement, but never enough to ruin the flow.
Did we need more of Muschietti’s Derry?
I didn’t think so – but with only a few episodes to the end, I find myself pre-mourning the season’s conclusion. The bloody affair carries surprising emotional weight. The filmmaker, who was also in charge of the 2017 and 2019 films, has already said that he’d like to go back another cycle for a second season and another cycle for future seasons, though there is no current plan for any future filming. Honestly, it might be best to chill, considering future cycles would predate Pennywise, who is still the center-ring attraction for this show.
Does more explanation kill the mystery?
A little bit. Expanding lore always risks over-defining the undefinable, and the show occasionally tips into too much backstory, including an unpack of Dick Halloran (of “The Shining”). But it never fully smothers the dread; it just dims a bit of the cosmic ambiguity. Fortunately, the series is strongest when it leans into emotion rather than mythology.
Who is this for?
This absolutely serves fans of King’s narrative overlap, the “IT” films and anyone who loves serial horror. Where others have tried and failed to expand and blend King’s stories, this one plays it smart and stays focused.
Final word:
I didn’t really feel excited about a Pennywise origin story, but “IT: Welcome to Derry” is scarier and more fun than a prequel miniseries has any right to be – not to mention more emotional and wholly committed to the spirit of King’s original vision. If you’re a horror fan, a King fan or someone who thought you didn’t need more Pennywise lore, this series might surprise you.
