“IT: Welcome to Derry” Brings Chills and Surprises to Stephen King’s Universe

We’re only two episodes into HBO’s IT: Welcome to Derry, and it’s already clear this show is a very different beast from what anyone expected.

Set in 1960s Derry, Maine, the series weaves together the lives of a U.S. Air Force pilot stationed at a mysterious base, a small-town movie theater owner, a young woman searching for her missing friend, and a group of kids haunted by eerie voices and nightmarish visions.

The series shares its universe with Andy Muschietti’s IT: Chapter One (2017) and IT: Chapter Two (2019). The familiar town of Derry—portrayed once again by the real-life Port Hope, Ontario—returns, along with the same creative team and, reportedly, the same Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård), who has yet to make his appearance.

Taking place roughly 20 years before the events of IT, the show plays freely with Stephen King’s mythology while expanding it in unexpected ways. The biggest twist so far is the revelation that Welcome to Derry takes place within King’s broader literary universe, connecting to his other works in startling fashion.

One major crossover comes through the character of Dick Hallorann—the Overlook Hotel chef from The Shining—who appears here as a military officer investigating the crash that supposedly brought Pennywise to Earth centuries ago. Another thread hints that the military’s attempts to “weaponize” Pennywise during the Cold War could lead directly to The Mist, King’s story about a doomed experiment to control otherworldly forces.

Plot surprises aside, Welcome to Derry succeeds most in atmosphere and execution. It’s a deeply unsettling showcase of director Andy Muschietti’s unique talent. The Argentinian filmmaker, who first gained attention with 2013’s Mama before taking on the IT reboot for Warner Bros., has refined his trademark style—a mix of surreal, Raimi-inspired visuals and a delicate balance between horror and dark humor. Here, he’s operating at an entirely new level.

The series premiere is a standout, beginning with a young runaway’s encounter with what appears to be a kind family—until the situation spirals into one of the most shocking and grotesque endings in recent TV memory. Episode two, released early on Halloween, broadens the story’s scope and deepens the dread, anchored by an impressive cast of both new and familiar faces.

Among the second episode’s most haunting scenes is one where Charlotte (Taylour Paige) intervenes as a young boy is attacked by bullies. As she looks around for help, the townspeople remain disturbingly indifferent. The tension builds with the layered sound of barking dogs and a rising, high-pitched whine—a perfect example of the show’s masterful direction and sound design.

Graphic, unnerving, and visually stunning, IT: Welcome to Derry has already exceeded expectations. What could have been a simple attempt to extend the IT franchise instead feels like a bold, ambitious expansion of Stephen King’s interconnected universe.

New episodes of IT: Welcome to Derry air Sundays on HBO and stream on Max.