Send in the clown.
No, really, free Pennywise! (Pretty please?)
In celebration of horror lovers’ favorite holiday — Happy Halloween, everyone! — HBO Max has gifted those who celebrate with a special early release of the second episode of “IT: Welcome to Derry.” (Stream it now on HBO Max — what a treat!) Though it pains me to say: It’s another hour spent in Derry without the franchise’s terrifying shining star, Pennywise the Dancing Clown.
The new episode (titled “The Thing in the Dark,” again directed by movie maestro Andy Muschietti) does push certain storylines forward. As the town deals with the aftermath of the movie theater incident, Hank Grogan (Ronnie’s father) finds himself at the top of the police’s suspect list. He’s arrested for the crime, since he was seen out and about in the neighborhood — but not at the theater! — at the time of the attack. (Racist jerks.) Meanwhile, Leroy learns quite a bit about the military’s presence in Derry and what they’re actually up to. The government is digging up the town in search of something, while a group of Native Americans looks on. General Shaw brings him in on some highly classified information. They’re looking for a weapon that generates debilitating fear. The supposed object is surrounded by a group of beacons that could pinpoint the exact location they’re looking for.
Intriguing? Sure. Clown-induced terror? Nope.
While the series is taking its time introducing these new characters and this 1962 timeline to viewers, it’s amusing enough, I suppose. It’s got some action-packed sequences that are spooky enough to satisfy horror and/or Stephen King fans, as we saw with the premiere’s theater scene and Ronnie’s bedroom nightmare from this week’s show.
We Want Pennywise!
But let’s keep it real. I can’t be the only one watching who’s clamoring for the clown. Looking back at the original 1990 miniseries, Tim Curry’s performance as cinema history’s most terrifying clown is branded on the brains of all of us ’90s kids who grew up terrified of Pennywise’s silly, yet wildly unsettling antics. (“Excuse me, ma’am… Is your refrigerator running?” Nightmare fuel.) Once Muschietti’s films hit theaters in 2017 and 2019, Bill Skarsgåd electrified the screen with his own take of the character. The teeth were sharper and the nightmares more visceral, as Pennywise filled the screen with dread, shedding far more blood than ABC could’ve ever aired 35 years ago. While we fully understand that the creature is a shape-shifting being (meaning that It is not just a clown, but many forms of fear), it feels like “Derry” is in zero rush to give the fantastic Skarsgård the floor. After two films that clocked in at a combined total of 305 minutes, haven’t we already earned the clown carnage already? Give us the clown carnage already!
Look, I’m all about slow burn storytelling. I watched “Lost” when it originally aired, on a weekly basis before binge-watching was a thing. (Truly a psychotic endeavor that greatly tested my patience.) I’m a fan of Osgood Perkins’ early films which unravel at a glacial pace. I’ve read multiple King works that clock in at over 1,000 pages each (“IT” included). But after eagerly consuming Muschietti’s frantic studio films, I can’t help but feel impatient while awaiting Skarsgård’s surely dramatic and very violent introduction to this 1962 timeline. And when that maniacal clown finally does rear its face to further torment Lilly, Ronnie, Marge and more, I’ll have my popcorn popped and the lights very dim, as I brace for ominous red balloons, more teeth than a shark’s mouth and dismembered limbs piled to the ceiling. And I hope whatever madness haunts our screens, that Muschietti and co. make Uncle Stevie — and his loyal, beloved readers — proud.
And very scared.
Are you anxiously awaiting Pennywise’s presence? And how are you enjoying “IT: Welcome to Derry” so far? Let us know in the comments!
This story originally appeared on TVLine
