It: Welcome to Derry‘s demon baby has been explained by co-showrunner Andy Muschietti. Welcome to Derry is a TV adaptation of Stephen King’s iconic horror novel about a demonic entity, taking the form of a clown, that terrorizes the children of Derry, Maine. The show is a prequel to that It reboot movies and debuted on HBO on October 26.
It: Welcome to Derryepisode 1’s shock twist ending saw the majority of the new gang of kids, set up to be the new Losers Club, murdered and devoured by Pennywise’s murderous demon baby form. The shocking and harrowing scene plays with audience expectations, and confirms this is a show that is looking to do things differently.
for EWthe demon baby, which was a brainchild of Muschietti’s, was designed to play into the fears of the time, with season 2 taking place in 1962, with fallout from World War 2 remaining, the Cuban Missile Crisis impending, and the Cold War rumblings. The filmmaker explains that the decision was made to evoke fears of nuclear attack and childbirth mutations.
He mentions how there was a lot of widespread panic across the decade about this issue, and how Welcome To Derry‘s murderous demon baby serves as an allegory of those fears that existed even as early as the late 1950s. Check out Muschietti’s comments below:
“It was very important to pay attention to the fears of the era. There was a pretty widespread panic of nuclear attacks and the effects of radiation and mutations in childbirth. There’s all these things that I can only imagine what being a child in those years would be like, how your imagination would be spun into horror very fast, not in a good way. Also in pop culture, a lot of horror movies from the late ’50s are very tied to the horror of radiation.”
TV shows and movies are a great opportunity to explore themes and allegories that reflect real life, and Muschietti is right that this era was one that was full of fear and distrust. Exploring this through the medium of horror storytelling is a great way to bring a fresh perspective to this kind of theme, and add depth and nuance to the story.
It: Welcome to Derry sees Bill Skarsgård reprising his role as Pennywise from It and It Chapter Two.
Nor a prequel series, Welcome to Derry has a lot of room to grow and plenty of flexibility to expand on the story that came before, as well as exploring the character of Pennywise. The 50s and 60s were a time of a lot of geopolitical turmoil and cultural unrest, and this presents many opportunities for allegorical storytelling.
King’s novel was such an iconic work in the horror genre that providing a little more backstory, adding texture, color, and light to the story and its characters, is a great way of enhancing what came before, and helping enhance King’s masterpiece. Welcome to Derry has the opportunity to stand as its own work, while also elevating its predecessors.
The fact that Muschietti has clearly thought about the time period, and tried to ensure that the show, and its themes, align with this means that It: Welcome to Derry has a strong chance of success. While IT was one of King’s strongest adaptations, Welcome to Derry has the chance to become a modern classic, especially if it continues to shock audiences.
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