IT: WELCOME TO DERRY

Creator/Director: Andy Muschietti
Starring: Bill Skarsgård, Jovan Adepo, Taylour Paige, James Remar, Chris Chalk, Clara Stack, Miles Ekhardt, Mikkal Karim Fidler, Joshua Odjick

Andy Muschietti scared audiences to death with his adaptation of Stephen King’s IT. Much like Stephen King did in the book, Muschietti is going back to the earlier days of Derry, Maine and the decades of trauma Pennywise has had on its residents. The new series IT: Welcome to Derry premiers Oct 26 on HBO and will be streaming on HBO Max.

The first movie, IT: Chapter One, took place in in 1988 and 1989. The series now goes back to the 1960s. It’s a cold dreary night in Derry, Maine when a young boy named Matty Clemens is out hitchhiking hoping to leave Derry. He’s picked up by a family, and it’s not long before Matty realizes he’s in grave danger as they are not what they appear to be. Fliers go up around town in the wake of Matty’s disappearance. Jovan Adepo plays LeRoy Hanlon, a fighter pilot for the Air Force who moves to Derry for work with his wife Charlotte (Taylour Paige) and their son. He’s quick to face the embedded racism at the hands of his colleagues. At Derry High School, there’s a group of kids, much like the Loser’s Club, who face their own bullying, pranks, and have their lockers vandalized. Clara Stack plays, Lilly, who was friends with Matty and wants to find out what happened to him. Bill Skarsgård returns as Pennywise the Clown.

Here’s my review