IT: Welcome To Derry Release Date: Where To Watch, How Is It Connected To The Films?

HBO has just dropped a must-watch horror TV series, just in time for Halloween. IT: Welcome to Derry premieres on HBO and fans can't help but talk about it.

How IT: Welcome to Derry Connects To IT Horror Films

IT: Welcome to Derry is a supernatural horror TV series. It is in the same universe as the 2017 It movie and 2019 It Chapter Two.

Welcome to Derry is a prequel to the first two movie adaptations of Stephen King's 1986 novel. It is set in 1962, in the town of Derry, Maine, where Pennywise's evil origin began.

It follows a family moving into Derry and features the mysterious disappearances of children, building terror and escalating fear in the small town.

The series gives fans new material and the chance to see what the previous movies missed. There are several historical events in the book that didn't make it to the big screen that Welcome to Derry will feature.

The new series is tied to the hit horror flicks and highlights the same iconic villain -- Pennywise -- but in a fresh territory, where all the terror began. Fans can expect Pennywise in his natural entity, shapeshifting to feed on children's fear.

Also, the same creative team is behind the new project. Andy Muschietti directs multiple episodes, including the pilot, and serves as an executive producer alongside his sister, Barbara Muschietti, Shelley Meals, Roy Lee, Dan Lin, Brad Caleb Kane, and more. Jason Fuchs serves as one of the writers and co-showrunners with Kane.

What The Critics And The Audience Say About IT: Welcome to Derry

IT: Welcome to Derry debuts on Sunday, 26 October. It didn't take long for fans to start talking about it while waiting for the pilot episode because the early reviews were promising.

Some took to X, formerly Twitter, and raved about the early reviews. One said it was 'scarier' than the movies.

Many were hopeful that it was the case because they didn't find the jumpscare scenes in the movies to be effective.

IT: Welcome to Derry has a 78% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The reviews from critics and the audience, however, were mixed, with some finding it good and others saying it was 'boring.'

Daniel Fienberg, of The Hollywood Reporter, said, 'I sometimes like it,' because it reportedly reminded him of a thing he loved and 'not because of much that it actually does.'

Black Girl Nerds' Cassondra Feltus described Welcome to Derry as 'an immersive prequel series that balances compelling narratives and characters with blood-soaked horror and delightfully disgusting effects.'

However, Nicholas Quah, top critic for New York Magazine and Vulture, wasn't satisfied. According to him, 'nothing ever quite settles into a proper story' because it features too many characters, making it difficult for him to focus on one.

One audience member, Juan C, felt the same. According to him, Welcome to Derry was 'extremely boring with unbearable characters who don't have the same charisma as the others in the previous films.'

How And Where To Watch IT: Welcome To Derry

IT: Welcome to Derry premieres on HBO on 26 October 2025 at 9pm ET/PT. It also streams on HBO Max.

It has eight episodes, each running 54-66 minutes. A new episode will be dropped weekly, so the series will run until mid-December.

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