It: Welcome To Derry Is Fixing One Illogical Aspect Of Stephen King’s Book

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The new HBO series, It: Welcome to Derry, will address a long-standing plot hole in Stephen King’s original novel. It also has the chance to improve upon how the sequel movie tried to fix the same issue, something critics have pointed out for years.

I’ve always been fascinated by Pennywise, and Stephen King’s backstory for him is incredibly compelling – but honestly, it doesn’t quite hold up under scrutiny. Over the years, King has expanded on the lore of Pennywise and his kind, adding layers and details, which has unfortunately created a few plot holes. I’m really hoping the new It: Welcome to Derry series can smooth those things out and give us a consistent, satisfying explanation. I’m excited to see how they tackle it!

The Local Indigenous Tribe Plays A Big Role In It: Welcome To Derry

Credit: Faye’s Vision/Cover Images

Stephen King was right to suggest in his novel that Indigenous people have known about creatures like Pennywise for generations, long before European settlers arrived. This highlights a common pattern: often, when a strange or supernatural being is discovered, it’s already been a part of the traditional stories and beliefs of the local Indigenous community for centuries.

I’ve seen a lot of horror movies try to build atmosphere, but It: Welcome to Derry really impressed me with how it grounds itself in local lore. It’s not just about a monster; the story cleverly weaves in legends – everything from Bigfoot-type creatures to fairy tales and even modern internet myths – that have been part of the Native American tribe’s history for generations. What’s really smart is that instead of treating the tribe as just background, the filmmakers make them central to understanding the whole mystery. It feels respectful and genuinely adds depth to the narrative.

A group of children are the first to notice a dark force growing in their town, while a secret military investigation happens at the same time – unknowingly pursuing the same threat. The town’s Indigenous people, however, already know about this evil presence and understand the danger of the military discovering it, fearing it could unleash something even worse upon the world.

Fortunately, It: Welcome to Derry avoids the harmful and outdated trope of the “noble savage” often used when depicting Indigenous people in older stories. Like the Black characters in the show, the local Native American tribe faces the racism and prejudice common in a small, mostly white American town during the early 1960s. They possess valuable knowledge, but aren’t automatically respected for it.

This It prequel finally includes the story of the local Native American people, something Stephen King’s original novel didn’t fully explore but really should have.

The Ritual Of Chüd Is An Important But Nonsensical Aspect Of Stephen King’s It

Custom image by Simone Ashmoore.

In Stephen King’s novel, the Ritual of Chüd is an old ceremony Bill Denbrough finds described in a book at the library. According to the story, it comes from the beliefs of people in the Himalayas, who knew creatures like Pennywise by the name “Taelus.” The ritual involves a holy man and a Taelus biting each other’s tongues while telling jokes. Whoever laughs first loses – if the holy man laughs, the Taelus gets to consume his soul, but if the Taelus laughs, it’s forced to retreat for a century.

It always seemed strange that the Losers looked to ancient Himalayan rituals for answers when a local Native American tribe lived right in Derry. Considering Pennywise had been in Derry for centuries – maybe even thousands of years – it’s likely the Indigenous people would have known about it and developed their own traditions for dealing with or containing it.

It’s odd that Stephen King left that detail out of the first version of the book. He might not have considered it at the time, or he could have been concerned about incorrectly using Native American traditions and spiritual beliefs. Regardless, it feels like a significant oversight given how much the story relies on the area’s long-standing history and legends.

It: Welcome To Derry Can Fix The Problems With The Book & The 2019 Sequel

In the 2019 film It: Chapter Two, director Andy Muschietti revised the story of how to defeat Pennywise. Instead of finding the solution in old books about Himalayan legends, adult Mike Hanlon learns it from the Shokopiwah, a fictional Indigenous tribe. They were the first to face Pennywise and developed the ritual used to imprison him.

The movie It: Chapter Two has problematic issues with its portrayal of Indigenous people. In the film, the ancient Indigenous community is depicted as failing and being killed by Pennywise, a significant departure from the novel. Even more concerning is the fact that Mike takes a sacred object from the tribe without permission, intending to use it to trap Pennywise. While Mike being a Black character adds complexity, the imagery of a mostly white group taking a valuable artifact from an Indigenous tribe for their own purposes is deeply unsettling and problematic.

The prequel, It: Welcome to Derry, can fix some issues with how Native Americans were portrayed in the original story. The book didn’t include them at all, and the 2019 movie’s attempt to include their culture felt forced. By meaningfully incorporating the local tribe and giving them an accurate historical role, the prequel can offer a much better representation.

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2025-10-27 02:19