Review: IT: Welcome to Derry is the Ruthless Prequel We Needed

Rating: 9/10

As a Stephen King fan who has been reading his books for two decades now, I approach any adaptation with a mix of excitement and skepticism. IT is easily one of my favorite books; I’ve always been obsessed with the deep lore and world-building King poured into Derry. When Andy Muschietti released the IT movies, I was thrilled—it was great to see the universe I had imagined finally come to life on screen, with Bill Skarsgård delivering a Pennywise that was pure evil and brilliant.

Naturally, when I heard a prequel series was in development by Muschietti, my expectations were high. I’m happy to report that Welcome to Derry didn't just meet them; it terrified them.

The show pulls a brilliant bait-and-switch right out of the gate. The first episode initially felt like a much, much darker episode of Stranger Things—a retro vibe with a group of kids banding together. But then came the shock. By the end of the first episode, the characters we thought were the main cast were brutally killed off.

That was the moment I sat back and thought, "Okay, this is no Stranger Things." It signaled that the show wasn't afraid to be ruthless. From there, things just got better and better. The series builds tension with ruthless efficiency; there is a pervasive sense that these kids aren't just victims, but livestock being fattened for the slaughter.

What I loved most is how the show handles the source material. It isn't exactly tied to the specific events in the book, but it uses references and expands on the historical interludes King wrote. It’s a smart play on Pennywise’s 27-year hibernation cycle.

For those of us who have read the books, there are layers here that casual viewers might miss. The show incorporates lore from the wider Stephen King Multiverse, making the experience significantly richer. It also ties in perfectly with the IT movies. We get explicit confirmation that Pennywise doesn’t experience time in a linear fashion, evidenced by him referencing events that happen in IT Chapter Two—decades in the future relative to the show.

Speaking of the clown, Pennywise makes his grand entrance in Episode 5, and somehow, he is even scarier here than he was in the movies. Skarsgård falls back into the role effortlessly, bringing a chaotic, non-linear menace that anchors the whole series.

Ultimately, Welcome to Derry delivers a viewing experience that is as eerie as it is exhilarating. It ends on a fascinating, existential note as the kids ponder a terrifying possibility: What if Pennywise goes back to the past and kills their parents to ensure they were never born? Their conclusion—that this is "someone else's fight"—was a chilling way to close the chapter.

Hopefully, we get another season. I’d love to see the events of a previous cycle, digging even deeper into the history of Derry. If you’re a King fan, this is a must-watch.