starring: clara stack, jack molloy legault, mikkal karim fidler, amanda christine​

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REVIEWER: Lyall carter

In 1962, a couple with their son move to Derry, Maine just as a young boy disappears. With their arrival, very bad things begin to happen in the town.

While I’m culturally aware of IT, the red balloon and the creepy clown in the drain, I have never seen the films. It may have something to do with the fact that it’s a horror (not a big fan) or that the subject of said horror is a clown (also not the biggest fan). But I thought lets pop down to the screening and finally face my fears and give this a go. And, two episodes in, I wasn’t disappointed. While the second episode feels a little stilted, the first episode is exquisite, filled to the brim with horror and suspense that really draws you into the tale and makes you want more from IT: Welcome to Derry. 

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Set in 1962, IT: Welcome to Derry focuses on the emergence of the shapeshifting evil, detailing the town's cyclical tragedies, including mysterious disappearances and mass hallucinations, and delving into earlier victims hinted at in the films.

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As I mentioned before I know very little about the IT franchise and so any little Easter eggs or throwbacks to the original will have been lost on me. To be honest, I kinda prefer it that way as, with a number of streaming spinoffs of famous franchises, it means that I won’t be swayed by nostalgia and that the project will have to stand on its own merits. 

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And IT: Welcome to Derry in the first episode is narratively strong. Fast paced without leaving characters or the plot underdeveloped, it draws you in with a couple of storylines working side by side. The horror elements here are particularly chilling, especially when a young boy gets into the wrong car. When you see it, you’ll know exactly what I mean. 

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The second episode however feels a little messy with the two parallel plot lines not progressing nearly as quickly as the first episode. This story of the missing children, which happens at lightning pace in the first episode, doesn’t really progress at all, neither adding to the mystery or developing the characters that much. 

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That being said IT: Welcome to Derry carries a lot of promise in the first two episodes that we watched. From the tale itself to the detailed, pristine production design, I can’t wait to be pulled further into this world. 

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While the second episode feels a little stilted, the first episode is exquisite, filled to the brim with horror and suspense that really draws you into the tale and makes you want more from IT: Welcome to Derry.

★★★.5