HBO is rewarding It: Welcome to Derry fans with a special Halloween treat this year with the early release of its second episode this Friday.
The horror series is a prequel to the events of the first movie in Stephen King’s It franchise, and welcomes back Bill Skarsgård as the malevolent, murderous Pennywise clown. Taylour Paige, Chris Chalk and James Remar also star.
While the eight-episode series debuted Sunday and is expected to continue in the network’s popular Sunday night timeslot, the release date for its next installment will land earlier than expected in celebration of Halloween on October 31.
“Trick or treat. Don’t miss an early release of Episode 2 on Halloween,” the show’s official X account announced Sunday after the premiere.
On X, fans of the show shared their delight at the news, with one commenting: “This is the Halloween we wanted!”
Bill Skarsgård plays the evil Pennywise in ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ (HBO)
“Thank you omg,” a second wrote, while a third begged: “GIVE ME MORE.”
“Can’t wait!!” a fourth added.
“Hell yea, just watched the first episode, f***ing great,” a fifth praised.
“That first episode was insane!” another added. “Way creepier than the movies were. That ending I didn’t expect.”
The show has already garnered critical acclaim, with The Independent’s Ed Power writing in a four-star review that it “masterfully recreates the film’s atmosphere of fetid, rising dread.”
‘It: Welcome to Derry’ follows the events leading up to the 2017 ‘It’ movie (HBO)
“And there’s no shortage of gore,” he added, warning, “Viewers with a sensitive stomach are advised to have a cushion to hand, the better to dive behind as the blood starts to gush,” Power added. “There are lots of jump-scares and an extended set-piece featuring some of the most shocking surprise deaths this side of prime Game of Thrones.”
Welcome to Derry was similarly labeled a Critic’s Pick by Variety’s Aramide Tinubu, who hailed it as a “worthy prequel series that not only details the emergence of Pennywise, but also turns a lens on society to showcase how truly horrifying we can be as human beings.”
Andy Muschietti, who helmed both It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019), once again steps into the director and creator seat for the series, which comes years after the first film chronicled Pennywise’s 1989 return to the fictional town of Derry, Maine. In Welcome to Derry, Muschietti rewinds to 1962, when the town is in the grip of Cold War paranoia.
Episode two of It: Welcome to Derry will stream Friday on HBO Max, followed by the third episode Sunday, November 9, and weekly episodes thereafter.
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