Horror fans have headed back to one of fiction’s most unsettling towns and are being re-emmersed into the well known story, with added twists and turns.
Stephen King’s famous fiction novel, “IT,” has seen its fair share of screen adaptations over the years. The most recent being the new HBO Max television show, IT: Welcome to Derry. The show is set decades before the events of “IT” and “IT Chapter Two” and acted as a prequel to the existing films.
The series sets the audience back in the infamous town of Derry, Maine. Instead of dialing the focus on reimagined characters, the show allows the town to take on its own physical entity and act as a driving force of the plot.
The main plot of the show seems to revolve around the strange disappearances and explicit violence that happens in Derry, and it places a sense of eerie tension that sets up future events. For returning fans and casual viewers, the show seems to fill in the holes of existing plots surrounding both the history of Derry and the origin of Pennywise the clown.
The most glaring directorial choice seems to be the shift of focus away from the usual characters, such as the group of kids who ultimately go head to head with Pennywise in the films. The show instead follows different characters across a broad range of time which makes the story seem bigger and more complex.
This shift makes it feels as though this entity that has overtaken Derry, and the characters in Derry, has now completely overtaken the plotline. It fully submerges the audience into the story.
Visually, the show has remained consistent with the films, as it has kept the usual gloomy atmosphere. The scenery is intentionally quiet and muted, which allows the tension to come from the story, not just the visuals. It also provides contrast and makes the amplified and visually distressing moments that much more impactful.
Overall, “It: Welcome to Derry” has remained true to the original plot of King’s novel, and the ideas of the previous screen adaptations, while also adding a fresh perspective and added insight on the complete storyline.
