Halloween is over, but that doesn’t mean the horror has to stop.
“It: Welcome to Derry” on HBO brings horror home to the TV and takes you on a journey to Derry, Maine circa 1962. In this at first glance normal-looking city, nothing is as it seems, be it the disappearance of children, corruption or supernatural activities. In the first five episodes of the series, the main characters are confronted with various fears, be it childhood fears, supernatural encounters with the dead or Pennywise, the dancing clown.
But what exactly is the series about? The focus is on a group of children Lilly, Teddy, Ronnie and Will who are looking for a friend who has suddenly disappeared. While searching, they realize something suspicious is going on in Derry, as the children see paranormal activities and are haunted by their fears. These scenes look extremely good and give you the feeling that an attack could happen anywhere at any time.
At the same time, Major Leroy Hanlon arrives at Derry’s Air Force Base to accept a top secret assignment called Precept. Although Hanlon doesn’t quite know what it’s about yet, she notices the government is trying to control the mysterious entity and turn it into a weapon. This second plot gives the series much more depth since the movies just focus on the kids in the town. In addition, it answers questions asked in the movies, such as if the government knows what is going on, since this cycle of violence occurs every 27 years.
The key to understanding this “mysterious figure” is Halloran, a man who has supernatural powers of seeing visions . I find this interesting because Halloran has made appearances in different Stephen King books and movies which suggests that all these movies play out in the same world. I think it gives viewers a new perspective on the character since now we get a view into his early years.
Through Halloran’s visions, it becomes clear that this “thing” is a cosmic entity called Gallo, which arrived in Derry hundreds of years ago in a sealed meteor. One of these visions shows that the most famous Neibolt Street House has access to the entire sewer under Derry, allowing Gallo to move through the city in the form of Pennywise the clown. Even though Gallo’s story was told in “IT, Chapter Two”, the series dives deeper into the lore.
In the fifth episode, there is a big conflict in the sewer between Gallo, the military and the children. While the military tries to arrest Gallo, appearing as Pennywise, the children follow the trail their friend left, which takes them directly under Derry. Just when they think they have finally found their friend, Pennywise appears and attempts to end them all. Since it’s been four episodes without Pennywise, it truly is a pivotal moment when the dancing clown appears and tries to get the children. Moreover, I always find it impressive to see how much time it takes behind the scenes to turn the actor Bill Skarsgard into the clown.
From my point of view, I think that the series is extremely good. In recent years, there has not been many horror series, and good ones even less. With this series, HBO delivers a unique story like previous series such as, “The Last of Us” and “Game of Thrones”. If you are a fan of the “IT” movies franchise, you will also enjoy this HBO series. If you haven’t seen the classic horror film, you’re still in for a treat with this well-produced series, especially if you like to feel a little thrill.
