It Welcome to Derry review: Chilling spinoff blends Stephen King lore with real-world horrors; Bill Skarsgård terrifies

It Welcome to Derry review: Bill Skarsgård is in fine form as Pennywise, while Andy Muschietti creates a classic horror that is timely as it is timeless.

It Welcome to Derry review

Cast: Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Clara Stack, Amanda Christine, Mikkal Karim-Fidler, and Bill Skarsgård

Creators: Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, Jason Fuchs

Rating: ★★★★

Ever since the spinoff of It had been announced in the form of a TV show, I had dreaded the inevitable comparisons with Stranger Things. Granted, Stephen King’s mishaps in Derry predate Duffer Brothers’ adventures in Hawkins, but the Netflix show has become such a cult icon that Welcome to Derry had every chance of being branded a knockoff (despite being the OG). After all, both shows are about a bunch of kids fighting an evil entity in a small American town with a secret military installation.

It Welcome to Derry review: Bill Skarsgård's Pennywise is back to terrifiy the audiences.

Yet, the Muschietti siblings do a one-up on the Duffers, blending Stephen King’s mythology and lore with real-world horrors, and bringing up pertinent issues like race, xenophobia, and more, without ever sermonising. Welcome to Derry is a breath of fresh air in an oversaturated horror genre, with the creators proving that it is still possible to surprise an audience that has pretty much seen it all.

The premise

Set in 1962, a full 27-year cycle before the events of It, Welcome to Derry serves as the origin story for the evil that lies beneath the town. A military base in the town wants to excavate the power that lies there to weaponise it. But after a young boy vanishes, his friends realise that the power is evil, and only they can stop it, because the grown-ups just won’t listen. But they are trapped by the socio-economic confines of 1960s’ America with the civil rights movement, segregationists, and racial divide.

The violence and gore of Stephen King's world

There is a lot that works for Welcome to Derry. The first thing is how violent it is right from the start. The violence on the show, some of it directed at preteens, surprisingly never gets too much. It is not titillating and almost always clinical in evoking the right kind of fear for every situation. But that violence grounds you in reality. Right from the opening sequence, you know the stakes are real, and nobody is truly safe, not even the protagonists.

Then, there is the respect and care towards the source material. Welcome to Derry elaborates on the flashbacks in Stephen King’s novel, and fleshes out a lot of incidents that King barely touched upon. The Muschiettis and Jason Fuchs (the co-creator) had a lot of room to leave their mark on the tale. But they carefully stay close to King’s blueprint even as they bring their own signature take to the story of It. You see Pennywise, Bob Gray, and even Dick Halloran – iconic Stephen King characters – turn up. And yet, it never feels cash grabby. It is done organically and sensitively.

Blending lore with real-world horror

But what is truly the clincher for the show is how seamlessly it brings in the real-life horrors of 1960s America into the story without it ever appearing forced. There are very on-the-nose depictions of institutionalised racism, police excesses, and white supremacy. This was the reality of the United States in Kennedy’s era, and Welcome to Derry does not shy away from going there. In fact, it takes these fears of ostracisation and othering and integrates them into the narrative. What better arsenal can an entity that thrives on fear have than the people’s own self-doubts about societal acceptance?

It: Welcome to Derry features black characters in an America fighting for civil rights.

The performances match up to the writing. The kids, in particular, are more than all right. None of the characters feel like a stereotype or a trope, something that even Stranger Things has been guilty of. But here, they are fleshed out, living, breathing individuals. Chris Chalk and Jovan Adepo are the standout performers among the adults. Chalk’s portrayal of Dick Hallorann adds a new dimension to the oft-seen character. And then there is Bill Skarsgård. As Pennywise, he is the spine of the show. He is what brings true terror to the screen. Director Andy Muschietti uses him only sparingly, adding to that terror. Even while telling the origin story of Pennywise, Bill Skarsgård manages an aura and uneasy charm that sends shivers down your spine.

Welcome to Derry is one of the best adaptations of Stephen King’s works. And that is high praise considering his work has spawned films like The Green Mile, Misery, Shawshank Redemption, and The Shining, to name a few. But I have a feeling that as time passes, Welcome to Derry will claim a place among these stories.