Contains spoilers for “It: Welcome to Derry”
The latest chapter in the saga of Pennywise the Dancing Clown arrives in “It: Welcome to Derry.” Our coulrophobia is on red alert, especially after that horrifying opening sequence — watch the video above to find out more about one of TV’s most shocking scenes of the year.
Set in 1962, this newest installment aims to provide more backstory to tell the entire “It” story, especially the parts that fans may still have questions about. Filmmaker Andy Muschietti explained to Entertainment Weekly how the seeds for “It: Welcome to Derry” were planted when he directed the “It” movies. He had tried to figure out a way how he could incorporate the interludes from the Stephen King novel where Mike Hanlon follows the history of Pennywise in Derry, but realized it would be too much to include in the movies. Eventually, he pitched a prequel show to HBO.
“It’s all pieces of a puzzle,” Muschietti said. “I thought it would be a great idea to grab all those pieces and build the puzzle in front of an audience and engage them in a story that eventually would give more substance to what the movies are.”
It: Welcome to Derry’s opening sequence follows a trend in the franchise
While “It: Welcome to Derry” is set in the past, many of its characters have links to the ones introduced in the movies and other Stephen King stories. At this point, most fans know that “The Shining’s” Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk), as well as Mike Hanlon’s grandfather Leroy (Jovan Adepo) and father Will (Blake Cameron James), play pivotal roles in Pennywise’s dark history. There are other notable associations and familial connections lurking about too, but we don’t want to spoil them here.
Like the films, the show starts off with a bang that sets the tone for the terror that’s to come. The opening scene features Matty (Miles Ekhardt) in a precarious situation that might be wilder than Georgie Denbrough’s (Jackson Robert Scott) infamous storm drain scene in 2017’s “It,” or Adrian Mellon (Xavier Dolan) and Don Hagarty’s (Taylor Frey) bloodcurdling under-the-bridge encounter with Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård) in 2019’s “It: Chapter Two.” Needless to say, it takes a turn that no one could have expected when Matty catches a lift with the family.
Since everyone’s abuzz about the disturbing “It: Welcome to Derry” opening scene, let’s take a deeper dive and find out more about it. Hit play and watch the video above.