Pennywise Finally Returns in Terrifying Trailer for HBO’s ‘IT: Welcome to Derry’

It’s been a long wait for the spinoff series of Andy Muschietti’s It films, but the new full-length trailer for IT: Welcome to Derry is finally here. Much of the show’s appeal, more than anything else, stems from Muschietti’s involvement, with the writer and director heavily invested in the series from early in its production. The new trailer comes just in time for the start of fall, and the series has also set an appropriately spooky release date of October 26.

While the main story of the IT films took place in 1989 (Chapter One) and 2016 (Chapter Two), IT: Welcome to Derry will explore the darker corners of Derry, Maine, in 1962. While Stephen King’s original novel had the childhood portion of the novel take place in the late 50s, the movie adaptations modernized it so that the adult Losers’ Club took place in the modern day. The 1960s-set story will explore more disappearances caused by Bill Skarsgård’s killer clown Pennywise. Besides starring in the series, Skarsgård will also serve as executive producer of the show.

The new trailer (which can be viewed below) provides plenty of looks at Derry in the 60s, as well as an early form of Skarsgård’s Pennywise before he fully evolved into the terrifying clown seen in the IT films. What makes the series more interesting is how it will seemingly tie in some very real-life horrors with the supernatural terror of Pennywise. The arrival of the Hanlon family (played by Taylour Paige and Jovan Adepo) in the Derry community comes at a time of strife and tension due to missing children, bringing to light racial tensions and prejudices.

‘IT: Welcome to Derry’ Will Explore Uncharted Territory Not Seen in Stephen King’s Novel

Much of the discussion surrounding IT: Welcome to Derry revolves around how closely the series will adhere to King’s lore regarding the evil entity, which was described in the original novel as existing long before humanity even came into existence. Being billions of years old, the evil entity that would eventually take the form of Pennywise the clown had existed long before Derry was established. Whatever the case, Mushcetti has teased in the past that future seasons of Welcome to Derry could take place even further in the past, potentially extrapolating Pennywise’s existence across different time periods.

The horror-focused trailer will undoubtedly help to get fans of the genre to tune in when the series premieres on HBO Max on October 26. Hopefully, the first season of IT: Welcome to Derry will prove successful enough that future installments can explore more horror through the lens of different characters and decades. Moreover, with the series not being a direct adaptation of King’s work, even the most die-hard fans won’t know what to expect going into the series. Now with several episodes’ worth of screentime, Skarsgård has even more of an opportunity to terrify viewers.