Welcome to Derry has potential to be HBO’s creepiest horror series yet

If you thought Pennywise was scary in IT, wait until you see where the nightmare began in Welcome to Derry!
It: Welcome to Derry
It: Welcome to Derry

The IT films were terrifying in their own right — creepy sewers, strange visions, and a clown you’d cross continents to avoid. But there’s something about Welcome to Derry that feels different — it’s just not about replaying old nightmares, but something even more unsettling we are not aware of. This is ground zero for the fear, the moment the town’s curse took root.

And now, we’re finally going to see just how far Derry’s darkness spreads.

From what we know, HBO isn’t rushing the scares. Instead, it appears that they are creating an atmosphere that gradually seeps into you with each episode. The kind that makes you mistrust every shadow, every flicker of light, and every neighbor who smiles a bit too broadly. The series will stretch back decades before the Losers’ Club, filling in the blanks the films only hinted at.

This isn’t just a prequel for prequel’s sake. Pennywise’s presence has been haunting Derry for generations, and now we’re finally getting the stories that never made it to the big screen. Local legends, small-town secrets, and the kind of dark history that sticks to the walls long after the blood is gone — all of it’s in play here.

Andy and Barbara Muschietti — yes, the powerhouse duo behind the IT films — are back in control of the story, so you know the vibe will land right between slow-building dread and jaw-dropping spectacle. With Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, and James Remar front and center, we’re in for performances that pull you in with tension, not just cheap jump scares.

Welcome to Derry premieres in October on HBO

Welcome to Derry is scheduled to debut on HBO in October 2025, coinciding with the peak season for goosebumps. We still don't know the release date yet.

HBO isn’t new to unsettling storytelling — think the creeping unease of True Detective Season 1 or the layered chills of The Outsider. Now, they’re taking on Stephen King’s most cursed fictional town. And unlike many horror series that focus on a single monster or event, this one is aiming to unpack decades of rot buried beneath Derry’s small-town charm.

The series is rooted within the horrifying universe of King's IT; however, rather than reenacting Pennywise's most famous scares, it has the potential to delve into the stories that are whispered about in the book — the tragedies that hinted that the evil was always there. Viewers may finally witness the burning of the Black Spot nightclub, the deadly chaos of the Bradley Gang shootout, and even smaller, stranger occurrences that locals never link but all point to the same old force.

Where The Haunting of Hill House wrapped its horror in aching family drama, Welcome to Derry feels like it’s coming for something deeper — the marrow of fear itself. It’s not content with just making you jump; it wants to unsettle you in ways you don’t see coming. The psychological weight presses in quietly, until you realize you’ve been holding your breath, and the supernatural moments hit with the force of something you can’t explain — and don’t really want to. This is the kind of dread that doesn’t clock out when the credits roll; it stays with you, the way certain shadows stick in your memory long after the light changes.

The show will not be forgotten for weeks. The atmosphere created is not just about scares — it’s rooted in rich source material and backed by a network that knows how to turn a good story into a cultural event. Welcome to Derry could easily be the series that has everyone swapping theories on Monday mornings and sleeping with the lights on at night.

When the premiere hits, it won’t just be another horror show to tick off your list. It’ll be the kind of story that stays with you — in your head, in your nightmares, and in that uneasy silence just before you fall asleep.

Stay tuned for more news about Welcome to Derry!


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