Welcome to Derry

Right off the bat I have to say that this anthology has a lot of promise to be good. The Muschietti’s are helming this undertaking and they did a pretty fair job revitalizing “It” just a few years ago. Being that the original remake had it’s roots in the 1988/89 era, this prequel is taking things back to a 1961/62 era per the 27 year rotation by which Pennywise’s hibernation schedule binds him to. I will say what’s kind of nice about this is it almost feels like we’re getting a sort of remake of the 1990 miniseries which was more faithful to the book in it’s 1958 timeline. The show starts in January of 1962 and has a very similar aesthetic, not surprisingly. Because of this, it really does feel like the timeline includes that original era that Jonathan Brandis and crew represented in the OG IT from 35 years ago. I think what I really like about this is it feels like it has a much stronger foundation to world build on and a lot more freedom to do so with far greater tools. Having watched the documentary about the ABC Miniseries with Tim Curry, the production was fraught with a number of issues, certainly not least of which were the censors and the budget. When you take those to restraints off the storytelling, all of a sudden we have far more room to really world build and the Muschiettis are not taking this for granted. The first episode packs a punch and the second episode keeps the momentum going in full force.

What I will do is really try and keep the details to a minimum as this is not only a new venture, but one that is actively ongoing as I’m writing this. We are only a few episodes into this first series and there’s two more seasons planned in the coming years that will take us further and further down the clown prince of terror’s proverbial rabbit hole, though sewer pipe is a far more appropriate instrument of demonstration. So I don’t really want to give away a lot of things by reviewing it. What I do want to highlight is through the first two episodes they have captured the same measure of fright that they intended and delivered with the cinematic ventures at the end of the 2010’s. By having more room to breathe in the storytelling, I’m hoping this is an MCU level forecasting of discovery and unveiling. They have the course mapped out for sure, it’s just a matter of delivering at this point and I’m hoping by doing the legwork up front, they’ll be able to deliver long term. I know the temptation with success is to milk it out of every last dollar you can, but if this series is well made and tightly delivered, I think even if it’s not a decade long venture that runs itself into the ground it will have much more staying power as a few seasons of really well made horror that has potential to birth a Stephen King-iverse (everyone is doing it these days it seems) with numerous forays into other lore he’s already crafted. I’m no King historian by any means and I don’t think everything he’s done is golden. But I do know that he’s been relatively deliberate at times in connecting his stories through loose but poignant character and narrative tissue that offers the chance to bring in fans from all over his catalog. I know they kind of attempted this on Hulu a few years ago with the two seasons of “Castle Rock”, another bastion of King tomes. But I do not believe that series fared quite as well and it may be that the central figures weren’t quite memorable enough. Enter Pennywise.

I will say that through the first two episodes, the January embers of our favorite winter haired harlequin have been subtle. That’s not to give anything away, it’s building and I enjoy that we weren’t abruptly confronted with the full barrage of his eerie glass eyed gaze and unsettling grin just yet. However, it’s quite clear that his signature style of playing with his food is in full force. The series deliver a wonderful mix of name dropping Easter eggs for the astute viewer while also introducing new players in the cavalcade of cadavers fit for a 27 year feast. The tone matches what we are accustomed to and that adds great continuity. I’d venture to say that throughout this series, as we go further and further back in time, it could easily lead to a marathon viewing that culminates in the films we’ve already seen. By knowing the ending, we have so much room to grow heading in the opposite direction. I’ve never read the book but knowing the film and the direction they’ve outlined in production intentions, we are going to walk backwards through Pennywise’s storied past. The plot points of Derry’s history disclosed by Ben Hanscom in the feature films will serve as the inciting events by which our timelined tales will be established. In the first two episodes I have recognized a handful of names, which translate into pieces of the puzzle we are already familiar with as well as introducing a number of names and faces we are meeting for the first time. I have to say that through the first two episodes, they’ve done a very balanced job of maintaining continuity and assembling a richer base for this particular narrative.

I will say that one of the things that took me a little time was straightening out some of the details of how things fit together. Initially I was concerned that they may have been hasty in slapping together recognizable elements of the greater King world simply to tantalize those paying close enough attention to notice names and places that have repetitive representation in King’s other scribed works. But my fears on that front were allayed by a little extra coddling by resources exterior to the series. What I will say about this detriment is it’s purely of my own making. For a casual viewer, you will just enjoy what’s happening. The dates and people match up fine, it was my own confusion which created a fog I needed a bit of help walking through to ensure the proper care had been taken. Through the first two episodes, I do believe this is the case. I don’t think they’ve been shoddy with the craftsmanship. If anything, I may have allowed myself to miss key elements of exposition which only reinforces my notation of ensuring you are paying the highest order of attention if you are investing in this series. This is only one further layer I really have to add to my excitement for this series, both short and long term. It’s made for casual observes to watch and enjoy in and of itself. It is as advertised as a deliciously horrific series steeped in terror. The visuals and the storytelling are expertly designed and delivered to compel both the new and old fans of franchise. You do have to get on board with the adjusted timeline and accept that this is derivative of the movies and not directly adaptation of the book. However, that being said, I do believe we will go well beyond what the book really encompasses in and of itself. I think we are looking at a potential “Game of Thrones” style of presentation where we start with something relatively true to the initial author’s vision and intent and build out considerably from there into a world that never existed tangibly once we eclipse the true origins of the story. It won’t be unfaithful, it will be rooted in foundational storytelling and expanded upon by someone trusted with vision to take it to places that haven’t existed yet. That’s inspired and I’m all for it.

What I will do here is take a breath. I’m NOT being paid by a studio. And I’m also not a Pennywise apologist who is deeply rooted myself in the works of King. I’m a passive fan in many ways. Of the dozens of books he’s written, I’ve read zero. I’ve watched a number of his films and own a handful as well. I am not a tried and true keeper of the legends. I definitely don’t gatekeep and would be miserable at it if I tried. If I used the Star Wars scale going from someone who’s never heard of the movies all the way up to the elite few who have named children after characters from the franchise, were married in a themed ceremony, have rooms dedicated to the series and attend conventions regularly, I’m somewhere in the middle. I don’t really own a lot of Star Wars merch outside of maybe a $20 max light saber here and there. I’m a fan of the films and know a decent amount about the overall story. But I can’t quote the books. I’m not going to question George Lucas on what is and isn’t canon. I own the movies. I watch them occasionally. And I enjoy most of them. That’s my level of Stephen King fandom. I’ve never read his books. I’ve tried to do “IT” on audio book and couldn’t get through it. And it was read by “Wings” great, Steven Webber. But, as I said, I’ve probably watched a dozen or two of his films. I’ve got a handful of them on the shelves. I’m relatively aware of some of the crossover material that exists. And for the most part, I do enjoy what I’ve watched. I’m not dyed in the wool. But I’m definitely here for this series. I think it has a lot of potential and after the first couple of episodes, I’m encouraged at what lies ahead.

While being overtly enthusiastic and somehow cryptically vague about actual plot points, I think it is time to give this one a rating. After two episodes, I’ve gotta come charging out of the gates with a solid 8. I know TV episodes tend to get much higher ratings on sites like IMDb than movies ever receive. Not entirely sure why that is. Maybe it’s because it’s shorter content and when you get that far into the weeds, many times you’re dealing with a more dedicated fanbase willing to give higher marks even when things aren’t perfect. But I’m not grading on that scale. I’m treating this not just as a show but a much lengthier version of a movie. This is where I will give props to what the streaming world has done. In the 8-12 episode arc that we’ve gotten accustomed to, we’ve introduced a whole new model for unraveling a story. A 20+ episode of an hour long drama has to pace itself considerably to carry a character or story arc from beginning to finale. The trail winds a good bit more and sometimes it’s more tempting to dawdle and draw things out unnecessarily. But in a shorter series, you can take what wouldn’t fit properly into a movie or even a two part series. In both the TV miniseries and the 2017/2019 movies, it was acknowledged that there was more than one sitting’s worth of entertainment and tale to be told. It would appear that the plan, as it stands now, is to tell each of these previous chapters in an 8, hour long episode each, season. That gives about twice the time we’ve already invested into the initial world of Pennywise the dancing clown via his theatrical releases. By doing this, it gives more room to build characters, setting, story, plot, fear, tension, visuals, and everything in between. In showing the intentional nature of constructing all of this, it will not just invite the viewer in for a richer experience but, once hooked, it will demand your attention and keep you invested as we twist and turn through the sordid affairs of Derry, Maine.

This show is a lot of fun. Plain and simple. Making this my Halloween pick ended up seeming like the perfect way to wrap this all up. Because this has been a venture I’ve endured for multiple seasons myself. This, I believe, is my third time doing this. I’ve watched almost 100 additional horror movies than I ever intended to do so. Granted, I still didn’t like a good many of the ones I assumed I wouldn’t. But I still have to focus on the positives. I’ve found a number of really well made movies that I enjoyed immensely. I would have never found those had I not pushed myself to do this. So I hope my intent really does shine though. I know I rip a lot of these movies apart. I think even if I torched one of your favs, you’d have to acknowledge first, that in most cases I really did try and go into it with no expectations. I did my best to not go into each of these movies negatively. I can’t deny that several of them were movies I never intended to watch. But I also acknowledged that they weren’t written for me either. My opinion doesn’t hold any additional weight. If anything, it should hold less. I’m not the intended, or core audience for most of these movies. And I LOVE that you love whichever ones you do. It’s the fact that we all find homes in different films that are wonderful and comforting and inviting. It’s sharing those with friends and allowing them to like or not like them. I know the feelings. I’ve seen the memes. I know the “hurts” very well. Inviting a close friend into a movie you love hoping they will love it just as much. “Here watch this part!” as though they’re going to intentionally look away while you stare at them like a hawk on cocaine. But then they don’t love it. They don’t get it. They aren’t instantly hooked. It’s ok. It just means that this movie isn’t the one to bond over. But as a dedicated movie fan, and especially if you’re a dedicated horror fan, learn from that. What DID they like? Are they more likely to invest in a horror comedy because it takes the edge off the scares? Do they like something more eerily grounded in reality than a haunting? Whatever it is, tailor your love of movies to their sensibilities and not your own. You already know what you love. Trying to force that down their throat isn’t what brings them closer. You knowing them and showing them something you’re confident you’ll both love is a greater way to share this medium we all known and love. I’m far more about bringing folks together over movies than looking for ways to divide. That’s what I’ll leave you with as we conclude this spooky season in 2025. There’s already enough things in the world pushing to break down the relationships we have and not enough things looking to strengthen them. If you loved 28 Years Later, I am truly happy for you. I hope it scratched that itch that 28 Weeks Later left you with many years ago. Please don’t ask me to watch it with you because I WILL not enjoy that. Just kidding. I can probably bring myself to watch it one more time. Ron has changed my mind before. I’m not ultra set in my ways. Though with 28 Years…ok I’ll leave it alone. But if you were somebody that took this journey with me, I think there’s 31 new ways in which you can know me better. If I read through this as an outside observer, I’d like to think I’d have new movies I could recommend to me that I’d enjoy seeing the ones that really scored the highest. Movies are a fantastic language we can use to communicate and I stand by that. Horror might not be my native tongue, but at the end of every October, I am thankful that I brush up on it to appreciate it once more. The 31 Days of Horror have come to an end and I’m happy. My Christmas decorations are already up. Yes, I’m THAT guy. I will definitely continue on with Welcome to Derry, but I have to admit I’m also VERY thankful to be getting a reprieve from my daily dose of horror at this point. Thank you for taking this journey with me, imaginary audience. I do really appreciate your patience and endorsement. Now, I think it’s time for one more of those delicious Meat Pies so I’ll catch you on the flip side!