Welcome to Derry Must Explore IT’s Darkest Origin to Redeem the Franchise

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The most talked-about horror release of 2025 is undoubtedly . This new series, coming to HBO Max on October 25th, will explore the origins of the story featured in Andy Muschietti’s popular 2017 and 2019 films, which were based on the massive 1,138-page novel. While both films were huge box office successes—ranking as the #1 and #6 highest-grossing horror movies of all time—reviews differed significantly. The first film received overwhelmingly positive feedback, earning an 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The second film, though praised for its actors, only received a 62% rating, with many critics finding it somewhat disorganized.

Bill Skarsgård’s portrayal of Pennywise is undeniably iconic. He quickly cemented the character – already famous thanks to Tim Curry’s 1990 performance – as a modern horror legend. The upcoming series, IT: Welcome to Derry, offers a chance to delve deeper into the history of Derry and Pennywise’s origins. The trailer suggests the first season will focus on the 1960s, about 27 years before the events of the 2017 film. To fully connect the movies and the new series, the show will eventually need to explore a key event hinted at in the first film.

It: Welcome to Derry Must Travel Back to 1908’s Kitchener Ironworks Explosion

Pennywise, and the entity it represents, has long been a part of Derry’s past. It resurfaces every 27 years to prey on the fear and lives of children, and each appearance is heralded by a terrible event that begins a new cycle of horror. While Derry often experiences tragedy, the events that signal Pennywise’s return are particularly devastating, such as the fire at The Black Spot and the Kitchener Ironworks explosion, which forever changed the town.

Ben Hanscom first investigated this tragic event while researching at the Derry library for the first movie. He discovered details about an Easter egg hunt held at the Kitchener Ironworks in 1908. Despite all the machinery being turned off, the building exploded during the hunt, killing 102 people – 88 of them children. Ben was horrified by a photograph in the historical records, showing a child’s severed head caught in a tree. This led Pennywise to lure him into the basement, where Ben was attacked by a ghostly image of the headless boy, with charred Easter eggs falling from his arms.

The creators are planning a three-season arc for IT: Welcome to Derry, with each season centered around a major tragedy in the town and the subsequent two-year period when Pennywise hunts. One season will definitely focus on the 1908 explosion, connecting the series to the movies and highlighting a crucial part of Derry’s history. While it would be a difficult story to tell, showing how the deaths of 88 children deeply affected the town is essential to understanding why Derry and its people are so unsettling and emotionally distant in the IT films.

IT: Welcome to Derry Will Likely Cover Other Tragic Events in the Town’s History

If the new series, IT: Welcome to Derry, follows the anticipated format of one season per major event, the show won’t only cover the Kitchener Ironworks explosion. It will likely delve into the town’s mysterious origins – the disappearance of over 340 settlers in the 1800s while beaver trapping. Since details about this event, reminiscent of the Roanoke colony, are scarce, the prequel is a perfect opportunity to explore it.

Following the ironworks explosion and before the devastating flood, a violent shootout occurred involving the Bradley Gang. This clash, which began as a confrontation between the gang and a group of local citizens acting as vigilantes, erupted in downtown Derry and resulted in multiple deaths on both sides, marking a key turning point in the town’s troubles.

Given the show’s first season is set in the 1960s, a key event will likely be the destruction of The Black Spot. This jazz club in Derry was created as a safe space for Black soldiers, but it was deliberately burned down by white supremacists who trapped and killed its Black patrons. This horrific act intensified the existing racism in the town and deeply affected Mike Hanlon, a member of the Losers’ Club, inspiring his lifelong passion for history and leading him to become the town librarian.

To keep the IT story compelling and revitalize the series after the disappointing response to IT: Chapter Two (2019), it’s effective to jump between different time periods and thoroughly examine each tragic event, while also making audiences care about the characters involved.

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2025-10-22 20:41