It: Welcome to Derry’s First Episode Brilliantly Sets the Stage for the Weeks Ahead
Image courtesy of HBO.
By Luis Zonenberg
As Halloween approaches, more people are gearing up for the holiday season with their spooky costumes and sugary sweet goodies. Naturally, some people are also getting into the festive mood with some scary films and shows lined up for them. Well, audiences can now add the latest Stephen King show, It: Welcome to Derry, to their horror movie marathons as well.
The latest HBO series from director Andy Muschietti is a spin-off of It and It: Chapter Two, films on which the director previously worked. The show dives deeper into the rich history of Derry, home to a murderous shapeshifter who feasts on the fears of little children. Perhaps this shapeshifter is more recognizable in the shape of the terrifying clown, Pennywise (played once again by Bill Skarsgård).
Muschietti began developing the series in March of 2022 with his wife, Barbara, and screenwriter Jason Fuchs. Muschietti confirmed that the series was based on the interludes in Stephen King’s novel, slowly building up to the Black Spot event in which a speakeasy for African American airmen burns down on the air base in Derry. The series is set 27 years before the events of 2017’s It, with the story taking place in 1962 when the Cold War and racial differences fueled people’s paranoia.
The first episode aired on October 26, 2025, beginning with a cold open that shows a young boy named Matty Clements (Miles Ekhardt) attempting to leave Derry by taking a ride with a family heading to Portland. During the car ride, the family slowly peels away the facade and reveals just how twisted they are. From the daughter taking in the smell of liver to her brother smiling at Matty with his crossed eyes, he soon realizes they are just driving straight back to Derry and tries to escape. The mother suddenly gives birth in a horrific scene to a mutant baby which kills Matty on the spot!
The rest of the episode takes place four months later, revolving around Lily Bainbridge (Clara Stack) who was one of the last people to see Matty before his “disappearance.” After hearing his voice down the drain from her bathtub, she seeks help from some of the other kids in school to help her find him. At the same time, Major Leroy Hanlon (Jovan Adepo) and Captain Pauly Russo (Rudy Mancuso) arrive at the Derry Airbase to aid General Shaw (James Remar) in recovering a lost artifact located in Derry.
This is by far one of the best pilot episodes I’ve seen in a long while, showcasing much more visceral and terrifying scenes when compared to the original movies. The series is also not afraid to pull its punches, featuring a clever bait-and-switch that makes the audience feel like no one is safe in this town. The actors all worked really well off each other, with the final scene leaving us excited but also dreading what’s to come in the weeks ahead.
This first season is part of a three-season plan Muschietti has in mind for the show going forward. He even said that, “There’s a reason why the story is told backwards,” with future seasons set to take place in 1935 and 1908 respectively. Each season will revolve around a huge event that terrorized the town, with the overall goal to slowly reveal how It adopted the form of Pennywise and why he only targets the children of Derry.
Muschietti and company have real ambition with the show going forward, with the first episode already showcasing the tension and fear gripping everyone in town. While Pennywise has yet to make an appearance, you can still feel his presence and the strong grip he has on the town of Derry. Only time will tell if Muschietti’s gamble pays off as the first season rolls out over the coming weeks.
New episodes of It: Welcome to Derry air Sundays at 9:00 pm est, streaming on HBO Max the next day.
