Let’s get straight to it: Welcome to Derry is great. Like, actually great. Not “pretty good for a TV spinoff” great — I mean a legit 10/10 prequel series that proves horror franchises can expand without losing their soul.
Going into this, I was excited but cautious. We’ve seen too many franchises get stretched thin chasing nostalgia. But Welcome to Derry didn’t come to recycle It — it came to build on it. And that’s exactly what it does.
One of the smartest things the show pulls off is how it connects itself to the IT films through the families. Instead of lazy callbacks or forced cameos, it weaves lineage into the story naturally. You start realizing that these aren’t just random victims or side characters — these are people tied to the same cycle of trauma, fear, and survival we saw in the movies. It makes Derry feel less like a setting and more like a living, cursed organism. That worldbuilding is what separates this from a standard horror show.
And let’s talk about Bill Skarsgård, because at this point, Pennywise is his. Period. This series solidified him as a full-on horror icon. Not just “great casting,” not just “memorable performance,” but truly iconic. He doesn’t overplay it. He doesn’t rely on jump scares. It’s the quiet moments, the stares, the movements, the way he feels like he’s always two steps ahead of everyone — that’s what makes his Pennywise terrifying.
Now I know people love comparing everything to Stranger Things, but I’m going to say it plainly:
‘Welcome to Derry is better than Stranger Things Season 5.’
Not because one is bad — but because Derry understands tone. It doesn’t try to balance teen drama, sci-fi adventure, and horror all at once. It commits to dread. It commits to atmosphere. It trusts silence and slow burns instead of constantly chasing spectacle. Another thing I loved is how patient the show is. It takes its time letting the town breathe, letting the characters settle, letting the unease creep in instead of forcing it. And when it does hit, it hits. The scares feel earned, not manufactured. Season 1 also leaves you genuinely excited for what’s next. Not in a cheap cliffhanger way, but because you realize just how much deeper this mythology can go. There are still corners of Derry we haven’t explored, and the show makes you want to explore them.
One wild takeaway for me?
Dick Halloran needs a spinoff or prequel tied to The Shining. If you know, you know. That connection opens the door to a bigger King universe on screen, and if handled with this same care? That could be something special. At the end of the day, Welcome to Derry doesn’t exist just to remind you of It. It earns its place alongside it. It respects the source material, elevates the franchise, and proves that horror TV can be just as powerful as horror film when done right. If this is the future of Stephen King adaptations on television, I’m all in.
Written by StoneyThaGreat
