The first season of IT: Welcome to Derry proved that the cursed Maine town at the center of Stephen King’s universe still has plenty of horrifying stories left to tell, both on the TV schedule and movie calendar. The series, streaming with an HBO Max subscription, expanded on the mythology established in IT and IT Chapter Two, diving deeper into Derry’s long history of violence, tragedy, and supernatural terror connected to Pennywise. Now it sounds like the creators may already know where they're headed in season 2, and I have got some ideas.
During a recent press conference at the Saturn Awards, co-creator Andy Muschietti teased what could be ahead if the show returns for another chapter. During this appearance (via ScreenRant), the filmmaker hinted that the team is aiming to raise the bar even higher. He explained:
We're very proud that the expectations are high after the first season. I think we're going to deliver something that is greater.
That’s a pretty exciting promise, especially since the series has already been a major success for HBO. Season 1 earned strong reviews and impressive viewership, even taking home the Saturn Award for Best Horror Television Series. But the really interesting part of the show’s future may come from when the story takes place.
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If Season 2 Goes To 1935, There’s One Story That Would Be Perfect
In previous interviews, the creative team has suggested that Welcome to Derry was designed with a multi-season timeline in mind. The first season focused on events surrounding Pennywise’s cycle in 1962, while later seasons could move further back into the town’s disturbing past.
One rumored time period for Season 2 is 1935, which happens to line up perfectly with one of the creepiest events referenced in King’s novel. I’m talking about the Bradley Gang shootout.
In the lore of the novel IT, the Bradley Gang robs a bank and attempts to escape through Derry. The situation escalates into a violent shootout with police, leaving multiple people dead in the streets. But the truly disturbing part comes from the witnesses. Some people claimed they saw Pennywise watching the violence unfold from a rooftop, clapping and laughing as the chaos played out below.
Other Dark Stories The Show Could Explore
Even if the Bradley Gang storyline isn’t the main focus, there are several other horrifying moments from IT lore that would be fascinating to see brought to life. One that would fit the show particularly well is the Sleepy Silver Dollar massacre, one of the earliest violent events tied to Derry’s dark history.
In Stephen King’s novel, the Sleepy Silver Dollar was a bar in Derry where a brutal killing spree took place in 1905. A man named Claude Heroux, enraged after the murder of several union organizers he supported, entered the bar carrying a double-bitted axe and attacked a group of men connected to the crime. The massacre was swift and brutal, leaving nearly everyone at the poker table dead.
What makes the story especially unsettling is how the other patrons behaved. According to the account later told to Mike Hanlon, no one in the bar tried to intervene or even react during the killings. People simply watched, refusing to get involved. Afterward, Heroux calmly sat down and waited for police to arrive.
Even creepier, one witness later recalled that a clown had been present in the bar that night, entertaining patrons before the violence erupted.
Moments like this perfectly capture the eerie atmosphere of Derry and the way Pennywise’s influence seems to amplify the town’s darkest instincts. The event also contributes to the larger cycle of violence that haunts the town throughout its history.
Beyond that, the show could also dive deeper into the Ritual of Chüd, the cosmic mythology connecting Pennywise to larger forces in King’s universe. The films and season one only touched on this idea briefly, but the next season of the television book-to-screen adaptation has more room to explore the strange and fascinating lore behind it.
If Season 2 really aims to be “greater,” as Andy Muschietti teased, expanding Derry’s horrifying past could be the perfect way to do it.
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