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The IT universe returns with Welcome to Derry, a series that steps back into the fog-filled streets of Maine long before the Losers Club ever faced Pennywise.
Premiering on 26 October 2025 exclusively on HBO Max, this nine-episode horror drama doesn’t simply repeat what came before.
Instead, it digs deep into the town’s cursed history and the chilling origins of the entity that has terrified generations.
While most prequels struggle to justify their existence, Welcome to Derry proves that expanding a legend can still feel fresh.
The show balances supernatural dread with psychological unease, giving viewers a mix of fear, curiosity, and sympathy that lingers long after each episode ends.
This is not just another horror series; it’s an emotional excavation of trauma, guilt, and inherited evil.
Plot Overview
Set in the 1960s, decades before the events of IT: Chapter One, Welcome to Derry explores how Pennywise’s terror first emerged. The story follows a group of residents who begin noticing strange disappearances and disturbing visions around the town’s sewers. As paranoia spreads, secrets buried deep within Derry’s history rise to the surface, revealing that evil has always had a home here.
The narrative moves at a slow burn, blending mystery and horror with social commentary. Themes of generational fear, denial, and complicity shape every episode. While there are jump scares and moments of visceral terror, the real horror lies in what the people of Derry choose to ignore. By grounding the supernatural in human flaws, the show achieves something rare in modern horror storytelling.
Tone and Atmosphere
From the first scene, the series makes it clear that this is not just about a monster in a clown suit. Welcome to Derry builds fear through tone, silence, and suggestion. Every sound, flickering light, and whispered rumor becomes part of a growing sense of dread. The cinematography uses muted colors and vintage textures that transport viewers straight into a 1960s small town where everyone seems to know something but refuses to speak about it.
Each episode ends with tension unresolved, keeping you restless and curious. The creators understand that real horror often lives in anticipation rather than action. By the time the final credits roll, you feel both terrified and fascinated, unable to look away.
Cast and Performances
A horror series lives or dies through its cast, and Welcome to Derry delivers performances that carry both the weight of fear and the tenderness of humanity. Bill Skarsgård returns to the role of Pennywise with a presence that’s more haunting than ever. His portrayal balances charm and menace in a way that reminds us why Pennywise is one of modern cinema’s most terrifying villains. Yet here, he is not just a creature of nightmares. He is a symbol of the evil that festers within ordinary lives.
The supporting cast adds depth and realism to the story. Taylour Paige and Chris Chalk lead as siblings uncovering the town’s secrets, their chemistry and tension giving the series an emotional heartbeat. Madeleine Arthur shines as a journalist determined to expose Derry’s dark past, while the ensemble cast helps bring every eerie corner of the town to life. Each performance feels rooted in fear and curiosity, giving the audience people to care about even amid the terror.
No one plays their role as a stereotype. Instead, each character’s reactions, guilt, and vulnerability reflect real human behavior when faced with the impossible. This emotional grounding makes the horror feel even more personal.
Direction and Storytelling
Directed by Jason Fuchs and Andy Muschietti, the series captures the unsettling essence of Stephen King’s universe while expanding its psychological dimensions. The direction is patient and deliberate, using long pauses, quiet camera movements, and subtle visual cues to create an atmosphere that creeps rather than jumps. The Muschiettis understand that horror is most effective when it’s unpredictable, and they craft scenes where silence feels louder than screams.
The writing deserves special praise. Each episode explores a different aspect of Derry’s decay, corruption, grief, denial, and obsession. Dialogues are sharp yet restrained, revealing more through what characters refuse to say than through exposition. The script also weaves historical events into the supernatural narrative, grounding the series in time and place while keeping its themes universal.
By focusing on generational trauma, Welcome to Derry connects deeply with the core of King’s storytelling. Evil here is not only a monster but also a memory that refuses to die.
Cinematography and Production Design
The visual language of Welcome to Derry is haunting and poetic. Every frame feels meticulously composed to reflect both nostalgia and unease. The cinematography captures the eerie stillness of small-town life through foggy streets, flickering street lamps, and decaying architecture that seems to breathe with history.
Lighting plays a central role in shaping the atmosphere. Shadows stretch unnaturally long, and warm tones fade into chilling blues whenever Pennywise’s presence draws near. The use of practical effects instead of heavy CGI gives the horror a tactile texture that feels real and unnervingly close.
Production design deserves equal credit. The sets recreate 1960s Maine with obsessive detail, vintage signage, muted wallpaper, old newspapers, and creaking staircases. The result is a living world that feels both familiar and cursed. You can almost smell the damp air of Derry as the story unfolds.
Writing and Emotional Depth
What makes Welcome to Derry more than a standard horror show is its emotional honesty. The writing captures grief, guilt, and generational silence in ways that resonate far beyond the scares. Each episode feels like peeling back another layer of trauma that the town has tried to bury.
Conversations between characters often reveal decades of unspoken pain. Even when the clown isn’t on screen, his presence hangs over them like a fog that never clears. The horror becomes not just about what lurks in the dark, but about the secrets people keep to survive.
This combination of emotional storytelling and psychological terror is what makes Welcome to Derry stand apart from typical TV horror. It respects its audience’s intelligence and rewards patience with meaningful payoffs.
Themes and Symbolism
At its core, Welcome to Derry is not just about Pennywise or the monsters that hide in the dark. It’s about fear itself. The series explores how fear takes root in silence, how communities learn to look away from evil, and how denial becomes its own kind of curse.
Stephen King’s stories have always used horror as a metaphor for human flaws, and this prequel understands that perfectly. Derry becomes a reflection of every small town that buries its secrets to maintain the illusion of safety. The monster in the sewer is terrifying, but the real terror lies in the people who let it thrive.
The show also touches on social themes that feel timely and personal. It addresses racism, economic struggle, and the generational trauma passed from parents to children. By intertwining these human conflicts with supernatural dread, Welcome to Derry becomes more than entertainment. It becomes a mirror.
IT: Welcome to Derry (2025) is one of the best horror shows of the year and a worthy addition to the IT universe.
It honors the source material while daring to tell its own story.
The slow pacing, atmospheric visuals, and emotional storytelling combine to create a haunting experience that lingers long after the final episode ends.
Fans of Stephen King will appreciate the world-building and psychological depth.
New viewers will find themselves drawn into a beautifully unsettling mystery filled with tension, sadness, and moments of quiet terror.
Every episode builds on the last, culminating in a finale that is both tragic and satisfying.
This series proves that great horror doesn’t rely on jump scares alone. It relies on truth, the truth that fear never really dies; it only waits.
If you enjoy dark, intelligent horror that makes you think as much as it makes you shiver, Welcome to Derry (2025) deserves a place on your watchlist.
Stream all nine episodes on HBO Max and dive into the chilling history that shaped one of Stephen King’s most iconic worlds.
Share your thoughts in the comments or on social media.
What did you think of Pennywise’s return?
Did the series live up to your expectations?
Let’s talk horror.
External Links
- HBO Max – Welcome to Derry
- IMDb – Welcome to Derry (2025)
- Stephen King Official Website
- Rotten Tomatoes – Welcome to Derry Reviews
- Variety – Welcome to Derry News and Analysis
FAQs
What is Welcome to Derry (2025) about?
The series serves as a prequel to IT, exploring how Pennywise’s evil first took hold in the town of Derry during the 1960s.
When did Welcome to Derry release?
It premiered on 26 October 2025, exclusively on HBO Max.
How many episodes does the series have?
Season one contains nine episodes, each running around 50 minutes.
Who plays Pennywise in Welcome to Derry?
Bill Skarsgård returns to his iconic role, delivering one of his most chilling performances yet.
Is Welcome to Derry based on a Stephen King story?
Yes, it’s inspired by King’s IT universe, expanding on events that were only hinted at in the novels and films.
Do you need to watch the IT movies before this series?
It helps to understand the lore, but Welcome to Derry stands on its own as a self-contained story.
Is Welcome to Derry scary?
Yes, but it’s more psychological than gory. The horror builds slowly, focusing on tension and atmosphere.
Will there be a second season?
HBO Max has hinted that future seasons could explore different eras of Derry’s cursed history.
What makes this series different from the IT films?
It expands on the mythology, exploring how Pennywise’s influence shaped the town and its people long before the Losers Club.
Where can I watch Welcome to Derry?
The full first season is available for streaming on HBO Max worldwide.
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