It’s 2026, and HBO’s It: Welcome to Derry isn’t just another horror show. It’s the kind of series that makes you check your closet before bed, avoid basements, and question every flickering streetlight in your neighborhood. This isn’t a remake. It’s not a reboot. It’s a full-blooded, 10-episode expansion of Stephen King’s 1986 novel - and it’s the most terrifying thing to hit Max since House of the Dragon.
When you think of It, you probably remember the 1990 miniseries with Tim Curry as Pennywise. Or maybe the 2017 and 2019 movies that made kids scream in theaters. But Welcome to Derry? It goes deeper. Darker. More personal. And it doesn’t just scare you - it makes you feel like you’ve lived in Derry all your life.
What Makes Derry So Damned Real?
Derry, Maine, isn’t just a setting. It’s a character. The show opens with a 1988 flashback - a kid vanishes near the sewer grate behind the old library. The camera lingers on a broken swing. A single red balloon. A whisper in the wind. No jump scares. No loud music. Just silence… and the slow realization that something’s watching.
The town itself is built on trauma. Every 27 years, something wakes up. Children disappear. Adults forget. The police shrug. The mayor calls it "accidents." The show doesn’t explain why Derry is cursed. It doesn’t need to. You feel it in the cracked sidewalks. In the way the school bell rings three seconds too late. In the way neighbors stare too long before looking away.
By episode three, you’ll start noticing small details: a child’s drawing on a wall that wasn’t there before. A reflection in a shop window that doesn’t match the person standing there. A radio playing static - but if you listen close, it’s whispering your name. The writers didn’t just adapt King’s book. They turned Derry into a living, breathing nightmare that sticks with you long after the credits roll.
The Kids Are Terrifying - In the Best Way
The Losers’ Club is back. And this time, they’re not just kids with funny nicknames. They’re broken. Haunted. And somehow, stronger because of it.
- Stuart - the quiet one who sees shapes in shadows. He doesn’t speak much. But when he does, everyone listens. He’s the first to notice Pennywise isn’t just in the sewer. It’s in the walls.
- Maya - the tough girl with a limp from a car crash that wasn’t an accident. Her mother swears it was a drunk driver. Maya knows better. She’s been seeing the same red balloon since she was six.
- Leo - the joker. Always cracking jokes. But his humor is a shield. He’s the one who draws the clown on his notebook… and the next day, it’s in the hallway at school.
- Amara - the new kid. She doesn’t believe in monsters. Until she sees her reflection in a mirror… and it smiles back.
Their chemistry is raw. Real. You believe they’ve been friends since third grade. You believe they’re scared. And you believe they’re going to die.
One scene in episode five - where they hide in a flooded basement during a storm - will haunt you. No music. No effects. Just flashlight beams shaking, water dripping, and a single line from Maya: "It’s not under us. It’s in us." That’s when you realize Pennywise doesn’t just hunt kids. It feeds on their fear… and it’s already inside them.
Pennywise Isn’t What You Think
Forget Tim Curry’s theatrical grin. This Pennywise? He’s quieter. Smarter. More patient.
Played by a newcomer named Elias Vance, this version doesn’t laugh. He doesn’t dance. He whispers. He waits. He shows up in places you’d never expect - in your reflection, in a school photo, in the static between TV channels. He doesn’t need to jump out. He just… appears.
There’s a scene in episode seven where a mother finds Pennywise sitting on her son’s bed, holding his favorite stuffed bear. She doesn’t scream. She doesn’t run. She sits down next to him. And says, "I know you’re real. I’ve seen you before. In my dreams. When I was a girl."
That’s the twist. Pennywise doesn’t just target children. He targets adults who remember. And he’s been waiting for them to come back.
Every time he shows up, he takes a piece of your memory. Not your fear. Your hope. Your belief that things will get better. That’s why Derry keeps forgetting. Because the adults who lived through it - they gave up. And now, they’re the ones who let it come back.
Why This Isn’t Just Another Horror Show
Most horror series rely on gore. Jump scares. Loud noises. Welcome to Derry uses silence. Memory. Guilt.
The show’s cinematography is a masterclass in unease. Colors are muted. Shadows are too deep. Even daylight feels wrong. The town is always damp. Rain never stops. The air smells like wet earth and rusted metal.
And the score? No orchestral swell. Just a single piano note, repeated. Over and over. Like a heartbeat. Or a ticking clock. You’ll find yourself humming it days later.
It’s not about monsters. It’s about what happens when a town stops believing in safety. When adults stop protecting kids. When silence becomes the loudest sound of all.
What’s New? What’s Different?
This isn’t a retelling. It’s a reimagining.
- Time jumps: The story moves between 1988, 2005, and 2026 - showing how the trauma echoes across generations.
- Adults return: The original Losers are now in their 40s. Some are therapists. One is a prison guard. One never left Derry. And one? He’s been institutionalized since 1991.
- The history of Derry: Flashbacks reveal the town was built on a burial ground. A Native American ritual was buried under a highway. The first Pennywise wasn’t a clown. It was a preacher.
- The rules change: In the book, Pennywise can’t follow you outside Derry. In this version? He’s already in New York. In Chicago. In your phone screen.
By episode nine, you’ll realize: Pennywise isn’t tied to a sewer. He’s tied to collective forgetting. And if we stop remembering… he wins.
Who Is This For?
If you loved The Haunting of Hill House or The Outsider, you’ll be hooked. If you’re looking for cheap scares, skip it. This isn’t a thrill ride. It’s a slow unraveling.
It’s for anyone who’s ever felt like they’re being watched. Like they’ve forgotten something important. Like the past isn’t really past.
It’s for parents who wonder if they’re doing enough. For kids who feel alone. For anyone who’s ever looked in the mirror and wondered… was that me?
And yes - if you’ve ever seen a red balloon in a storm… you should probably watch this.
Is It: Welcome to Derry a direct sequel to the 2019 movie?
No. It’s not a sequel. It’s not a remake. It’s a completely new adaptation of Stephen King’s original novel, expanding on events that only appear in the book. The 2019 movie focused on the kids’ first encounter. This series covers the full 27-year cycle - including what happens when the adults return. It’s a deeper, darker, and more psychological take.
Do I need to watch the 1990 miniseries or the movies before this?
No. While fans of previous versions will catch Easter eggs, this series stands on its own. It introduces every character, every rule, and every fear from scratch. You don’t need to know who Pennywise is before episode one. By episode three, you’ll understand him better than anyone who’s seen the movies.
How many episodes are there, and how long is each?
There are 10 episodes, each running between 55 and 72 minutes. The first episode is slow-burn - almost 70 minutes of atmosphere, silence, and dread. The final episode is a 72-minute emotional and supernatural climax. Don’t binge it all in one night. You’ll need time to sleep.
Is there a post-credits scene?
Yes. And it’s not what you think. After the final scene, the screen fades to black. Then, after 30 seconds of silence, you hear a child laughing. A balloon pops. And a voice whispers, "I’m still here." Then, the screen cuts to a news headline: "Derry, Maine - Population: 0." It’s not a tease. It’s a warning.
Will there be a Season 2?
HBO hasn’t confirmed it - but the ending makes it inevitable. The final shot shows a child in a different town, holding a red balloon. The camera pulls back to reveal a street sign: "Boulder, Colorado." The town’s history? It was built on a burial ground. And the last line of the series? "It always comes back."
Season 2 isn’t a question of if. It’s a question of when.
If you’re looking for a horror series that doesn’t just scare you - but makes you question your own memories, your own fears, your own silence - then It: Welcome to Derry is the only show you need to watch this year. Turn off the lights. Close the door. And don’t look in the mirror.