This review contains spoilers for IT: Welcome to Derry.
Fear plays a major role in our lives. It can motivate us, but it can just as easily paralyze us, and make us miss out on what matters. Fear is also the central theme of IT: Welcome to Derry, the prequel series to It: Chapter One and Chapter Two, created by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and (the series) Jason Fuchs. Gory to the brim, the series boasts fully realized characters, a cohesive storyline, and, most importantly, something fans have been waiting for: the origin story of Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård).
Set in the 1960s, Welcome to Derry takes place decades before the events of the films. The series stars Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Clara Stack, and Mikkal Karim-Fidler, among others, with Skarsgård reprising his role as the titular dancing clown and also serving as an executive producer. The story follows both the adults and the children of Derry as they attempt to solve the mystery of the town’s missing kids and uncover who (or what) Pennywise truly is, and how the entity known as It learned to weaponize fear and feed on it.
One of the show’s greatest strengths is that it presents the titular monster through the perspectives of both children and adults, creating a layered and complex narrative. On one hand, we follow a group of school friends: Lily (Stack), Marge (Matilda Lawler), Teddy (Karim-Fidler), Will (Blake Cameron James), Ronnie (Amanda Christine), and Rich (Arian S. Cartaya), who are desperately searching for their missing friend Matty (Miles Ekhardt), kidnapped by Pennywise. On the other hand, the adult storyline centers on General Shaw (Remar), who, with the help of his childhood friend Rose (Kimberly Guerrero) and her nephew, Taniel (Joshua Odjick), seemingly attempts to stop whatever evil has taken hold of Derry. Joining him are Leroy Hanlon (Adepo) and the legendary Dick Hallorann (Chalk), both doing what they can to contain Pennywise and save the town.
One thing is sure: Welcome to Derry offers far more compelling characters than can easily be counted. Rose, beautifully portrayed by Guerrero, stands out in particular. Her character symbolizes the origins of It, tracing the roots of this ancient evil back centuries to the land’s Native People. Equally compelling is Charlotte Hanlon, played flawlessly by Paige. Charlotte is fearless and empowering, fighting to help a man falsely accused of murdering the missing children. Every character feels purposeful, each fitting seamlessly into the show’s complex yet cohesive narrative. I also have to give a special applause to Odjick, whose role as Taniel will certainly remain in my mind, especially after the heartbreaking finale.
Another one of the most intriguing performances belongs to Chalk, portraying Dick Hallorann. Chalk does exceptional work embodying the iconic character first introduced in Stephen King’s The Shining and immortalized in Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation. Bringing Hallorann into Pennywise’s world is a bold and inspired choice. But it makes perfect sense within the mythology, and Chalk proves he is an ideal casting decision. Adepo and Rider also deserve recognition for their portrayals of men wronged by the system in different ways, grounding the supernatural horror in harsh reality.
The child cast is equally as impressive and deserves special praise. While the adult ensemble sets a high bar, the young actors catch up to it with ease, maintaining the show’s momentum and emotional weight throughout. Each performance feels remarkably mature and emotionally honest. Their characters are unforgettable, particularly that of Arian S. Cartaya as the polite, chivalrous, and kind Ricardo Santos. His performance is nothing short of exceptional, especially in the penultimate episode of the first season.
If It: Chapter One and Chapter Two were already bloody, Welcome to Derry pushes the gore even further. The creators seem to pour gallons of blood into every episode, yet it never becomes dull or repetitive. The brutality remains creative and purposeful. Because fear is the series’s core theme, the terror extends beyond the paranormal and into real-world horrors, like racism in the 1960s, social injustice, and the oppression embedded within the justice and military systems. The result is a show that unsettles its audience on multiple levels.
Most importantly, IT: Welcome to Derry finally delivers what fans have long wanted: a true origin story for Pennywise. We learn how he came to be, how he stopped being Bob Gray, a circus worker, and became something else entirely. Skarsgård is not only continually terrifying but also surprisingly humanized as his backstory unfolds, revealing the man behind the monster. The series also weaves in the story of Ingrid Kersh, portrayed by Madeleine Stowe, whose presence ties seamlessly into the films. Mysterious and deeply unsettling, she rivals Pennywise himself in terms of menace.
Overall, IT: Welcome to Derry feels like a vastly improved version of Chapter Two, even while functioning as a prequel. Through its strong ties to the films, clever Easter eggs, and its deep dive into Pennywise’s origins, the series expands the It universe into something far richer. It’s a story about fear: personal, societal, and supernatural, about friendship, racial and social injustice, and the importance of listening to the voices of those who came before us.
With bloodier-than-ever sequences and a compelling ensemble cast, both young and old, Andy and Barbara Muschietti, alongside Jason Fuchs, deliver an ambitious, elevated horror story that feels both timely and timeless.
Grade: A
IT: Welcome to Derry is available for streaming on HBO Max.
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IT: Welcome to Derry
In 1962, a couple with their son move to Derry, Maine just as a young boy disappears. With their arrival, very bad things begin to happen in the town.
