IT: Welcome to Derry Changes How You Watch the Best Stephen King Horror Movie of All Time

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Even before the first episode of IT: Welcome to Derry aired, the show made it clear it would be part of the broader Stephen King world. They hinted at this connection by showing Shawshank State Prison, the setting of the popular story The Shawshank Redemption, and by including a well-known character from The Shining as a key actor. While it was announced that Chris Chalk would play Dick Hallorann, the connection didn’t fully resonate with viewers until he appeared on screen, introduced himself, and demonstrated his psychic ability – his ‘shine’.

Throughout the five episodes of IT: Welcome to Derry that have aired so far (with three remaining), Dick Hallorann has been a significant character. Readers of Stephen King’s novels IT, The Shining, and Doctor Sleep knew he had a history with Derry, but the show is finally revealing that backstory. Understanding Hallorann’s past will likely give viewers a new perspective when they revisit those other King stories.

IT: Welcome to Derry Adds More Depth to The Shining for Stephen King Fans

The new series, IT: Welcome to Derry, hints at Dick Halloran’s psychic abilities, similar to those seen in The Shining. However, the show initially presents these powers differently. The military is using Halloran to find objects connected to Pennywise, and while he’s been successful, his abilities have manifested more as a broad psychic sense – he can feel the energy of objects and even read other people’s minds to gather information.

In the fifth episode of IT: Welcome to Derry, Halloran finally faced Pennywise, who invaded his mind and exploited his painful memories. The episode introduced Rose Halloran, his deceased grandmother, a character previously unseen in any adaptation of IT. Halloran also encountered a vision of his grandfather, who gave him a lockbox – a key component of Halloran’s power. This lockbox allows him to trap and contain evil spirits. As revealed in the Doctor Sleep novel, Halloran originally used this method to silence the haunting memories of his abusive grandfather.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t Dick’s grandfather who confronted him with the lockbox – it was Pennywise disguised as him. The scene culminates in Dick’s worst fear coming true: his grandfather forcefully breaking the lock. We don’t see Dick again until the episode’s end, when he emerges from the sewer and encounters his comrade, Pauly. To Dick’s shock, Pauly is revealed to be a wandering spirit trapped between worlds, not a puppet of Pennywise. The episode closes with a chilling image: Dick Halloran’s lockbox is open, radiating an ominous glow.

The prequel story IT: Welcome to Derry significantly expands on the history of Dick Halloran, changing how viewers understand his character. Learning about Halloran’s experiences in Derry adds a deeper layer of dread to both The Shining and Doctor Sleep. Knowing his time at the Overlook Hotel wasn’t the beginning of his encounters with the supernatural, but rather a culmination of horrors he first faced with a terrifying entity in Derry, makes Halloran a particularly tragic and compelling figure in the horror genre.

Okay, that open lockbox at the end? Huge cliffhanger! It really makes you wonder what the rest of the season is going to reveal. It looks like when Pennywise messed with Halloran’s mind and he opened that box, it didn’t just free his grandfather. It might have also taken away Halloran’s ability to see ghosts – which is a pretty big deal! It definitely feels like we’re about to get some serious answers, and with only three episodes left, I’m hoping we do. I need to know what’s going on!

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2025-11-26 20:22