★★★★☆

Published in 1986, Stephen King’s It is an epic novel concerning a shape-shifting, inter-dimensional entity that commonly transforms into a frightening clown called Pennywise. The creature terrorises the children of Derry, Maine, every 27 years between its periods of hibernation. The book was first adapted into a 1990 ABC miniseries, best remembered for Tim Curry’s iconic performance as Pennywise, and more recently into two big-budget films by director Andy Muschietti (2017–19), featuring Bill Skarsgård behind the greasepaint.

King’s never returned to the world of It—unlike The Shining, which received the belated sequel Doctor Sleep—suggesting that even the world’s most successful horror author found the story complete. Muschietti clearly felt otherwise. Alongside producing partner/wife Barbara Muschietti and screenwriter Jason Fuchs, he makes the leap from the big to the small screen with the HBO series It: Welcome to Derry. But as a prequel series made with King’s blessing, it faced the inevitable challenge of crafting a fresh narrative for this supernatural menace without appearing repetitive or redundant.

Muschietti chose to adhere to the chronology of his popular films, which shifted the novel’s timeline from the late-1950s to the late-1980s. Consequently, Welcome to Derry is set in the early-1960s. This setting will likely appeal to purists who believe the concept works best against the backdrop of a more “innocent” period of American history, prior to the seismic societal shifts that birthed the modern age.

Initially, the series seems at risk of merely rehashing the novel with a new cast. We’re introduced to a familiar dynamic in a group of misfit friends, including: Clara Stack (Lilly Bainbridge), a girl bullied for her role in her father’s tragic death; her best friend Marge Truman (Matilda Lawler), whose loyalties are tested by a desire for popularity; geeky pals Teddy Uris (Mikkal Karim-Fidler) and Phil Makin (Jack Molloy Legault); outspoken Black schoolgirl Ronnie Grogan (Amanda Christine); and “army brat” Will Hanlon (Blake Cameron James), a sensitive newcomer destined to become Mike Hanlon’s father.

Thankfully, Welcome to Derry avoids the pitfalls of previous adaptations. While the miniseries and films separated the interwoven stories of the children and adults into distinct halves, this series runs them in parallel. This is a vital correction; while the adult segments of It are functional, seeing middle-aged adults haunted by a clown is inherently less intense than seeing kids in peril. (And the less said about the decision to transform Pennywise into a giant extra-terrestrial spider to compensate, the better.)

Because the children of the 1960s would have been adults during Muschietti’s 1980s-set films, the show can’t utilise the book’s time-leaping structure again. Instead, other adults now have their own simultaneous dealings with Pennywise. And while this sounds ambitious to the point of madness, it works surprisingly well.

Major Leroy Hanlon (Jovan Adepo) moves to Derry with his wife Charlotte (Taylour Paige), tasked by General Shaw (James Remar) with assisting a Black psychic soldier named Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk). Dedicated King fans will recognise Hallorann as the chef from the Overlook Hotel in The Shining. And here, he’s using his “shine” to locate the Entity. The military’s motive is chillingly pragmatic: they wish to weaponise Pennywise against the Russians. After all, what could be more effective than dropping a Lovecraftian nightmare behind enemy lines?

Though the concept sounds far-fetched, it remains compelling until a somewhat misjudged twist in the finale. Nevertheless, the series successfully merges the worlds of The Shining and It, leaning into the “connective tissue” of King’s bibliography that previous screen adaptations have largely ignored.

The season opens with a child’s disappearance, echoing the fate of Georgie Denbrough. Matty Clements (Miles Ekhardt) is abducted by a creepy family in a classic car—actually a manifestation of a newly awakened Pennywise. An early surprise is the speed with which this “proto-Loser’s Club” is decimated. Because we don’t know these characters’ futures, the stakes feel genuinely high. The ensuing murders lead to the framing of Ronnie’s father, Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), an easy scapegoat for a town where racial unrest simmers beneath a veneer of hospitality.

The series also evokes The Mist through the presence of a nearby military base. This leads to a powerful subplot involving the “Black Spot”, a nightclub for Black soldiers that is eventually razed to the ground by white supremacists. This is a memorable piece of lore from the ’86 novel, and the show excels at fleshing out this backstory. Additionally, a group of Native American characters, led by Rose (Lazzelle Gelias), enter the fray; revealed to be the custodians of knowledge that’s trapped the Entity within Derry.

Curiously, the series frequently flashes back to 1908 and 1935. While these segments provide depth and intrigue—including the reason the Entity adopted the form of a circus clown—they also feel they’re “using up” material that could’ve been saved for future seasons intended to take place during those years. However, it does allow Bill Skarsgård to flex his muscles in an entirely different role…

Regarding Skarsgård, his exciting return as Pennywise is a triumph. While Tim Curry’s Pennywise was perhaps more unsettling for its “ordinariness,” Skarsgård’s version—with its rat-like teeth and bulbous white head—is now an icon of the “evil clown” archetype. And the sing-song cadence to Skarsgård’s vocals as Pennywise, with the clown’s occasionally gruff intonations, remains a highlight.

Remarkably, Welcome to Derry handles the horror better than the films. The scares are more creatively staged, leaning heavily into the supernatural with added Freddy Krueger flavouring. The result is a series of chilling, nightmare-fuelled moments: bat-winged babies, carnivorous womb-like beds, and pickled parents in labyrinthine supermarkets. By keeping Pennywise off-screen for the first half of the season, the show ensures that his eventual entrance carries maximum weight. And the climax on a frozen river is arguably more imaginative and gripping than the widely derided ending of It Chapter Two (2019).

The performances are all excellent, particularly among the young cast. While the eight-episode structure means some characters, such as Clara and Ronnie, lose prominence towards the end, others like Matilda Lawler’s Marge truly come into their own. The latter’s story buoyed by her sweet relationship with the smitten Rich Santos (Arian S. Caraya) and the emotional crisis that duo face.

As is standard for the It franchise, the underlying subtext to the horror is grounded in sobering reality. In 1962 Derry, the true monster is the pervasive racism exacerbated by Pennywise’s influence. The exploitation of Hallorann by his white superiors, and the corruption of Police Chief Clint Bowers (Peter Outerbridge) in jailing an innocent Black family man, provides a sobering counterpoint to the supernatural thrills.

Ultimately, It: Welcome to Derry could have been a cynical cash-in. Instead, it’s a well-crafted expansion of the mythos that develops the town’s history and introduces compelling new characters. While the first half is stronger in terms of character drama, the second half delivers a captivating conclusion. Whether future seasons are necessary is up for debate, but on this evidence, a return trip to 1935 Derry is a tempting prospect.

USA • CANADA | 2025 | 8 EPISODES | 16:9 HD | COLOUR | ENGLISH

Cast & Crew

writers: Jason Fuchs, Austin Guzman, Guadali Del Carmen, Gabe Hobson, Helen Shang, Brad Caleb Kane, Cord Jefferson (based on the novel by Stephen King).
directors: Andy Muschietti, Andrew Bernstein, Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr. & Jamie Travis.
starring: Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Matilda Lawler, Amanda Christine, Clara Stack, Blake Cameron James, Arian S. Cartaya, Miles Ekhardt, Mikkal Karim-Fidler, Jack Molloy Legault, Chris Chalk, Peter Outerbridge, Madeleine Stowe & Bill Skarsgård.