Halloween is behind us, but the scares are going to keep coming thanks to IT: Welcome to Derry. The prequel series is Andy Muschietti's latest book-to-screen adaptation, airing new episodes on HBO (and streaming with a HBO Max subscription). After Welcome to Derry's bloody season premiere I started recommending it to everyone in my life, and their reactions to tuning in have absolutely given me life.
While I wish Welcome to Derry premiered earlier in October, the quality and terror of the first two episodes have definitely made the wait worth it. I was absolutely floored by the end of Episode 1, which saw most of the young cast we'd been following brutally murdered by that winged baby creature. After catching my breath, I started sharing my love for Muschietti's series, and I felt so validated by how my loved ones responded to the show.
Everyone Who Has Tried Welcome To Derry Has Loved It
With the first two episodes of Welcome to Derry arriving during Halloween week, I texted a few friends about how they needed to get into it. That includes fellow horror nuts like me, as well as more casual enjoyers of the genre. After all, everyone deserves a few jump scares to celebrate the holiday.
Critics enjoyed IT: Welcome to Derry, but the real test was going to be the fans. And I'm pleased to say that not a single person I recommended the new series to has disliked it. I got some A+ texts back from people who tuned in to watch its horrifying premiere, like the following:
Thank you for this reco. The first episode was 🔥and scratched the itch I have been looking for lol
Another friend who isn't a horror superfan like me also tuned in, and came over to watch the second episode on Halloween night (thanks for giving it to us early, HBO). While he watched moments from behind his hands, there's enough heart and genuinely scary moments in the show that he enjoyed it thoroughly. I'm hoping that this reaction is shared widely, allowing the series to get more than one season on the air.
Perhaps this shouldn't be all that surprising, as Muschietti's pair of IT films were some of the best horror movies to arrive in theaters in recent memory. But, the fact that none of the cast is safe in the prequel, even the kids, adds sky high stakes to every new episode. Another one of my friends expressed their shock at the end of Episode 1, which saw the brutal deaths of Teddy, Phil, and Susie. He texted me:
Fucking LOVE IT. What an ending to that first episode.
Welcome to Derry is yet another HBO Show that's got the world talking, resulting in huge numbers. It's premiere reportedly got 5.7 million viewers in just three days, becoming one of the highest performing premieres alongside House of the Dragon and The Last Of Us. With Pennywise barely appearing in the first two episodes, one can only imagine how popular the show might become when Bill Skarsgård's signature character takes center stage.
Thanks to how many friends I recommended Welcome to Derry to, it's going to definitely make the show water cooler talk for me. I've got a number of folks to check in with after every episode, and to talk about what scared us the most. As such, I'm glad that we're getting weekly episodes rather than a full season release. I want this fun discourse to continue! Plus there are even more people I need to recommend the show to.
IT: Welcome to Derry airs new episodes Sundays on HBO as part of the 2025 TV schedule. I can't wait to see what brutal scary scenes and/or kills come with each new entry.
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