Delve into the dark past of Stephen King’s horror masterpiece.
I’ve been on a bit of a Stephen King jag lately after The Life Of Chuck and The Long Walk, catching up on some of the old master’s later work. I’m an easy sell when it comes to King – it’s been a minute since I was a Constant Reader, but I devoured everything he’d every written when I was in high school. Which means I’m primed to get way too excited for this upcoming prequel to Andy Muschietti’s IT duology.
IT: Welcome To Derry Trailer
What’s the plot?
Set in 1962, IT: Welcome To Derry sees a young couple move to the titular small Maine town, only to face racism, discrimination, and an alien terror buried deep beneath the city streets that wakes every few decades to feast on Derry’s children. As you do.
Looking a bit closer, that young couple are the Hanlons, most likely the parents to IT‘s Mike Hanlon. And given that crossover character Dick Halloran shows up, there’s a fair chance we’ll be seeing the “Black Spot” story from the novel on screen.
Who’s in it?
- Taylour Paige as Charlotte Hanlon.
- Jovan Adepo as Leroy Hanlon.
- Chris Chalk as Dick Hallorann, and old King hands will recognise him as the cook from the Overlook Hotel in The Shining.
- Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the Clown.
Plus James Remar, Stephen Rider, Madeleine Stowe, and Rudy Mancuso are in supporting roles.
When’s it out?
IT: Welcome To Derry hits HBO Max on October 27, just in time for Halloween.
What’s the vibe?
I liked IT: Chapter One waaaaaaay more than IT: Chapter Two, mainly because the second film veered into funhouse territory while the first made a better fist of the novel’s creeping, all-enveloping sense of horror. Welcome To Derry seems to be veering more towards the first film in terms of tone, so that’s me happy. Plus, the 1962 period setting is close enough to the book’s 1958 to make almost no difference. It’s be something if the the prequel TV series evoked the source material better than the actual adaptation, wouldn’t it?
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