Is “Welcome to Derry” the scariest Stephen King series yet — or just another horror reboot drenched in nostalgia?

In a year saturated with cinematic spin-offs and nostalgia-driven TV adaptations, Welcome to Derry stands as one of 2025’s most talked-about — and most divisive — horror series. A prequel to Andy Muschietti’s blockbuster It films, this HBO production dives deep into the eerie origins of Pennywise the Dancing Clown and the cursed New England town that birthed him. But while it drips with atmosphere, gore, and impeccable production value, one question lingers: is Welcome to Derry truly terrifying, or merely a glossy echo of its predecessors?

Set in 1962, the story opens with a gut-punch of an introduction — a “picture-perfect” family outing that turns into a grotesque bloodbath, complete with a mutant infant and river of gore. It’s a bold start that establishes what the show does best: making viewers deeply uncomfortable. From there, the narrative shifts to the aftermath of a child’s disappearance, uniting a group of young outsiders determined to uncover the evil festering beneath Derry’s quaint façade.

The main characters — Teddy (Mikkal Karim Fidler), Phil (Jack Molloy Legault), Lilly (Clara Stack), and Ronnie (Amanda Christine) — embody the familiar King formula: vulnerable kids thrust into extraordinary terror. Their hunt for missing classmate Matty leads them into the town’s sewer system, where echoes of Pennywise’s laughter seem to slither through the pipes. Meanwhile, adults at a nearby Cold War military base are embroiled in their own secrets. Major Leroy Hanlon (Jovan Adepo) begins to suspect that Derry’s horrors may be tied to the experiments happening under government watch, while Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk), a name fans of The Shining will recognize, adds connective tissue to King’s sprawling literary universe.

Visually, Welcome to Derry is pure prestige television — moody cinematography, haunting production design, and meticulous world-building. But beneath the surface, the series feels more pulp than poetry. It relishes in its grotesque imagery — from dismembered bodies to demonic births — and sometimes seems to prioritize shock over story. Yet for horror aficionados, that’s precisely the appeal.

Thematically, the show hits familiar King notes: childhood innocence shattered, small-town hypocrisy, and the haunting persistence of evil across generations. The racism, paranoia, and moral decay that underpin Derry’s postwar society feel eerily contemporary, suggesting that the monsters outside are only reflections of the ones within.

Still, some viewers may find Welcome to Derry more exhausting than exhilarating. It lacks the emotional precision that made It (2017) a cultural phenomenon, instead opting for grandiose set pieces and relentless dread. Its attempt to blend “prestige” aesthetics with B-movie horror excess sometimes works — and sometimes feels over-engineered.

For HBO, Welcome to Derry also symbolizes something bigger. Once synonymous with television excellence (The Sopranos, The Wire, Succession), the network has shifted toward high-budget, franchise-heavy projects. With this series following The Penguin and Dune: Prophecy, it’s clear that the age of “prestige TV” has collided with Hollywood’s obsession for familiar IP.

Ultimately, Welcome to Derry is less about reinventing Stephen King’s mythology and more about luxuriating in its darkness. It’s brutal, blood-soaked, and often brilliant — but not necessarily groundbreaking. For fans, that may be enough. For everyone else, it’s a reminder that even the most haunted towns can start to feel familiar when we’ve seen them too many times before.

FAQs

Q1. What is Welcome to Derry about?
It’s a prequel to Stephen King’s It, exploring how Pennywise’s curse first took root in the 1960s and terrorized the town of Derry, Maine.

Q2. Where can I watch Welcome to Derry?
The series airs on HBO Max in the U.S. and Sky Atlantic/Now TV in the U.K.

Q3. Who directed Welcome to Derry?
Andy Muschietti, who directed It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019), co-developed and directed the new prequel series.

Q4. How is it connected to other Stephen King works?
The show features Dick Hallorann from The Shining and references to the Hanlon family, tying it to King’s larger literary universe.

Q5. Is Welcome to Derry too scary for younger audiences?
Yes. It contains extreme violence, disturbing imagery, and mature themes — definitely not suitable for children.