‘Welcome to Derry’ Producer Confirms What Actually Happened to Ronnie’s Mom

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Barbara Muschietti, a producer on the show Welcome to Derry, explained what happened to Ronnie’s mother after she was frightened by Pennywise in Episode 2. The HBO Max series focuses on a new group of kids terrorized by Pennywise in 1968, including Ronnie Grogan (played by Amanda Christine). Ronnie, a 12-year-old whose father works at the Capitol Theater, was the last person to see Matty Clements – the victim of Pennywise’s most disturbing act in Episode 1 – before he disappeared.

When Ronnie and her sister Lilly joined the group investigating the disappearance of Matty, they were the only ones left alive after Pennywise violently attacked their friends at the Capitol Theater. The second episode showed that the terror didn’t stop there – Pennywise continued to haunt Ronnie by exploiting her painful memories.

In the second episode of IT: Welcome to Derry, Pennywise terrorized Ronnie by shapeshifting into her deceased mother. He did this because the creature sensed her lingering grief and used it to torment her.

As Ronnie’s mother, Pennywise exploited his suffering, twisting it into a horrifying experience. She cruelly blamed Ronnie, accusing him of causing her immense pain and even claiming he was responsible for her death.

Ronnie’s dead mom: “You tore me apart, Ronnie.”

Ronnie: “Mommy?”

Ronnie’s mother, even in death, confronted him with the pain of her passing. She expressed her longing to have held him as a baby, and accused him of causing her death, drawing a parallel to the children he’d harmed and predicting he would do the same to his father. It was a desperate, heartbroken accusation of the pain he inflicted.

In the second episode of HBO Max’s “Inside Look at IT: Welcome to Derry,” executive producer Barbara Muschietti explained the circumstances surrounding Ronnie’s mother’s death. She revealed that Ronnie feels immense guilt, believing he was responsible for her death during childbirth.

“Ronnie has this crazy guilt about having killed her mother at childbirth.”

Andy Muschietti, the creator and executive producer of Welcome to Derry, explained that Pennywise transformed Ronnie’s bedsheets to resemble “[her mother’s] womb.”

The entity, aware of her fear, transforms into a terrifying form. It makes her bed feel like a womb, and she believes she’s submerged in the fluid surrounding a baby, as if it had suddenly appeared beneath the covers.

Daryl Sawchuk, the VFX supervisor for Welcome to Derry, discussed the disturbing birth scene, explaining that Pennywise made it appear as if Ronnie was being put back inside her mother.

It quickly becomes clear that the character is actually back inside her mother. We see the mother’s stomach moving as if reacting to something, and then, suddenly, the character is essentially reborn into the bedroom.

Stunt coordinator Jamie Jones then briefly explained how the terrifying scene came to life: 

We created a scene where the character was delivered as if from a fake artificial womb, landing on the floor surrounded by fluid.

As a film fan, I found it really interesting to hear SPFX Supervisor Darcy Callaghan talk about how they created the effect of Ronnie being covered in… well, let’s just say placental goo! They used slime to achieve that look, and it’s a detail that really stuck with me – it’s those kinds of effects that can make a horror film truly memorable.

Once we had the scenes in order, we added a slimy effect to make it look like the character was covered in a gooey, placenta-like substance.

The story of what happened to Ronnie’s mother in IT: Welcome to Derry is deeply sad. Sadly, Pennywise used this terrible event to hurt Ronnie even more, making her an easier target by exploiting her fear.

Created by Andy and Barbara Muschietti, IT: Welcome to Derry continues the terrifying story of Pennywise in the town of Derry. The series focuses on a new cycle of attacks that happen every 27 years, and features characters connected to the original Losers’ Club from the IT films. It first appeared on HBO Max on October 26, 2025.

Why Ronnie Can Turn Her Guilt Into a Weapon Against Pennywise

Ronnie’s intense guilt about her mother’s death makes her vulnerable to Pennywise, but overcoming this trauma might also be what ultimately allows her to defeat the ancient evil.

Ronnie has the power to change her situation by letting go of her guilt and accepting that she wasn’t responsible for her mother’s death during childbirth. Once she understands this, Pennywise will no longer have any control over her or be able to exploit her vulnerabilities.

The movie IT: Chapter One showed that the Losers’ Club beat Pennywise by facing their fears and proving they weren’t afraid. This might be the only way Lilly, Ronnie, Will, Marge, and Rich can survive too – they need to realize they’ve overcome enough fear to temporarily defeat Pennywise.

Losing my mom was devastating for Ronnie, and the pain will always stay with her. But she figured out a way to fight Pennywise – she used her guilt, her own feelings of responsibility, as a shield. It’s so strange, but Pennywise himself was the one who showed her how to survive, by making her realize that’s where her strength lay. It’s a really twisted kind of power, but it’s what’s keeping her going.

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2025-11-08 22:07