It: Welcome to Derry premiered last night on HBO. And while everyone can’t stop talking about that shocking ending scene, the real monster in this prequel series isn’t that killer clown who preys on children. It’s racism.
Set in 1962, this chilling expansion of the It universe introduces us to Leroy and Charlotte Hanlon, a couple who have settled in Derry with their young son, Will (the father of Mike Hanlon, a member of the Loser Club from the 2017 It film).
Leroy is a decorated military major who believes his service will secure a better future for his offspring. “He’s fighting for his country so that he can protect his family,” said Jovan Adepo, who plays the character. But he’s also fighting a system that doesn’t want him to exist, ever so clear when a white soldier refuses to salute him, despite his higher ranking.
“This is their reality,” says Taylour Paige, who plays Charlotte. “The brilliance, the cleverness of our show is does it really take the entity [of Pennywise] to show us evil? Or is the horror also right here on Earth? You’ve got a two-hander of just massive horror.”
For co-star Stephen Rider, prepping for the series was a chance for a creative homecoming. “A lot of my favorite books come from the sixties: Ralph Ellison and all things James Baldwin. I feel I’ve done a lot of research for this that I’ve been doing my whole life,” said Rider, who plays Hank, a film theater projectionist living with his daughter. “There was a certain ownership that myself, Chris, Jovan and Taylour had in this world, that we could lean into.”
Chris Chalk, who’s playing Dick Hallorann, a man with psychic powers who’s featured in King’s The Shining, noted that the show’s 1960s racist backdrop deepens the fear. “Playing in racism is never gonna be my favorite thing,” he admitted, but it adds another layer of intensity, where supernatural horror is paralleled with a time of civil unrest.
Chalk reflected on what makes It: Welcome to Derry more than just jump scares from your couch. “We’re so obsessed with dividing into ranks, but ultimately, we’re a human species,” he emphasized. “My biggest fear is our inability to get over ourselves.”
That’s what gives this prequel its power: it’s as much a history lesson as it is a horror story as it is a cautionary tale.
But don’t get it twisted, Pennywise is still pretty damn terrifying; he can manipulate his voice and prey on any fear, pointed out Adepo and Chalk. And let’s not forget that “he kills little children,” Paige exclaimed.
But Rider may have discovered the worst thing about this maniacal psychopath.
“The scariest trait is that hairline,” he declared. “Imagine you wake up looking like that. Come on. We’d all be devastated.”
It: Welcome to Derry is now streaming on HBO.