IT: Welcome to Derry (Episode 1) Review: Still Floating

NFD NEWS
9 hours ago
2 min read

From the opening frame, Welcome to Derry grips you with a quiet, suffocating dread that never lets go. Set in 1962, this prequel dives into the cursed soil beneath Stephen King’s infamous town — and it’s every bit as horrifying as you hoped.

What makes it shine:

The show’s 1960s setting oozes atmosphere — fog-drenched streets, neon diners, and an underlying rot that makes Derry itself feel alive. The writing is razor-sharp, balancing supernatural terror with real-world horror like racial tension and social paranoia. Every performance lands, with both adults and children giving raw, haunted energy that pulls you in.

The Muschietti siblings return to the director’s chair with total confidence, blending cinematic visuals, bone-deep sound design, and slow-burn tension worthy of prestige horror.

Why not a perfect 10?

A few narrative threads feel over-ambitious: with so many characters, eras, and lore to juggle, the pacing sometimes stutters as it shifts between horror set-pieces and exposition.
Some of the CGI or supernatural moments don’t land as strongly as the grounded terror of earlier King adaptations; occasionally the show leans too conspicuously into “event horror.”
For longtime fans, the prequel approach risks diminishing the mystery of the original — by explaining so much of Derry’s past, the sense of cosmic unknown is somewhat reduced.

Final Verdict:

Welcome to Derry doesn’t just revisit Pennywise’s world — it expands it with intelligence and style. It’s horror television at its most artful: unnerving, human, and impossible to look away from. This is horror done right — a smart, stylish expansion of a beloved mythos that marries classic Stephen King dread with contemporary social undercurrents. If you thought you knew Pennywise and Derry, think again. The show delivers tension, chills, and also meaningful substance. It’s one of the most compelling horror series of the year.