IT: Welcome to Derry has impressive horror elements and an immersive setting, but it rehashes a story we’ve seen one too many times before.
Creators: Jason Fuchs, Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti
Genre: Horror, Slasher, Supernatural
Number of Episodes: 7, released weekly
U.S. Release: October 26, 2025 on HBO Max
U.K. Release: October 27, 2025 on Sky and Now
When it was announced that HBO Max would release IT: Welcome to Derry, I was extremely eager to see what this prequel series would have in store. For one, I was a big fan of the 2017 film IT, an adaptation of the Stephen King novel of the same name. My love for the movie is due to the story, the outstanding acting talent from the young kids who make up the Losers Club, and Bill Skarsgård’s goofy yet eerie take on Pennywise. Then came IT: Chapter Two, which pulled off the casting brilliantly for the grown-up versions of the children introduced in the first movie, even though the narrative didn’t quite win me over as much as its predecessor did.
Skarsgård reprising his role as Pennywise in IT: Welcome to Derry was a big draw for me, and I was intrigued to see what direction the story would take when filling in the blanks of Derry’s backstory. Episode one transports viewers back to 1960, when a young child disappears from the town without a trace. Considering this is the first episode, the series doesn’t hold back in terms of horror and outlandish, over-the-top visuals. They are not only clever but also show off returning director Andy Muschietti’s signature style that we have grown to love and appreciate from his previous two films focused on the spooky, cursed Maine town. It sets the stage for what’s to come, with wild and eccentric sequences scattered throughout that lean into the show’s horror elements early on.
IT: Welcome to Derry is also smoothly paced, as it gradually feeds the audience information about how this evil force that is causing terrifying manifestations of what people fear the most came to be, without revealing important plot points too soon and ruining the mystery.
In the series we are introduced to many new characters attending the local high school. They come together to try and discover what happened to the child who disappeared two years prior, all while becoming the target of IT themselves. Though the acting is fantastic, I’ll admit that I was not as invested in each of their stories as much as I was in the unforgettable personalities of the children that make up the Losers Club in the 2017 film. Obviously, comparisons were inevitable, and fleshing out characters as interesting and beloved as those that are introduced in IT: Chapter One was a tall order.
Although I wasn’t as attached to the new faces we meet in the series, IT: Welcome to Derry absolutely nails the time period it’s depicting, with impeccable set and costume design, which perfectly captures the 1960s and brings the era to life. While the characters aren’t as memorable, the realistic setting certainly immerses you in the experience to an extent.
As a critic, I was fortunate enough to receive the first five episodes of IT: Welcome to Derry, though obviously, with three episodes remaining that I have yet to see, it’s hard to predict what my final thoughts will be by the time I finish the series. What I will say is that, once Pennywise appears, I couldn’t help but feel the gimmicky beats had grown a bit repetitive and stale, and he didn’t appear quite as much as I had hoped for. With a few more episodes to go, the narrative could turn around, but as we already know the concept of the story and IT’s tricks, it feels like a rehash of the ideas we have seen in Muschietti’s previous two films, only with characters we care less about and in an earlier time setting.
IT: Welcome to Derry is by no means bad. In fact, I think fans of the films and book will enjoy the candy carnage on display and appreciate the scope and creativity of the horror scenes. That said, the plot follows expected patterns and expands on a story that, at this point, I’m sad to say feels slightly overdone and tired.
IT: Welcome to Derry – Series Plot & Recap
Synopsis:
After a child disappears in the small town of Derry, Maine, in 1960, kids in the town try to figure out what happened, all while being haunted by the very evil entity that whisked the child away.
Pros:
- There are some creative, outlandish horror scenes that fans of the original source material will find impressive.
- The series immerses viewers in the time period it’s set in with impressive set and costume design.
Cons:
- The story feels overdone, rehashing many of the same ideas that we have seen before.
- Pennywise isn’t in the series quite as much as I had hoped. That said, one should keep in mind that I haven’t seen every episode, so this con could change.
- When Pennywise does appear, he leans into the same gimmicks and beats, which feels repetitive, and his introduction isn’t as impactful as I thought it would be.
- One can’t help but draw comparisons between the introduced characters here and those in IT: Chapter One. In this series, they’re just not as interesting.
IT: Welcome to Derry will be available to stream on HBO Max from October 26, 2025. In the U.K., the series will be released on Sky and Now on October 27.
