Welcome To Derry (But Not How You Think)

This post contains major spoilers for “It: Welcome to Derry.”

Terrifying manifestations of Pennywise have appeared throughout “It: Welcome to Derry.” The entity, which the Shokopiwah call the Galloo, has turned itself into a demonic flying baby and a toothed womb to scare children, but the clown itself doesn’t appear in the first four episodes. These 1962 hauntings appear more aggressive than anything we’ve seen in Andy Muschietti’s “It” movies, as Pennywise has viciously stalked and torn children apart in this particular feeding cycle.

So far, the adults have predictably dismissed any evidence presented by the kids, but Major Leroy Hanlon (Jovan Adepo) finally learns the truth about Derry after Will (Blake Cameron James) is almost drowned by the creature. Thanks to a plan to scope out the sewers beneath Neibolt Street (which was revealed to be the Galloo’s prison in episode 4), Hanlon and a few men venture deep inside to capture It in the latest episode.

Meanwhile, the kids return to their hideout to find that the unexpected has occurred. Matty (Miles Ekhardt), whose disappearance acts as the catalyst for the show’s events, seems to have escaped the sewers. The gaunt and traumatized child claims that the creature keeps some of its victims alive to feed on their fear, and that Phil (Jack Molloy Legault) is still alive despite being immobilized. He refuses to go home to his abusive father and rejects his friends’ suggestions to go to the police. Lilly (Clara Stack) persuades Matty to take the group to the sewers so that they can rescue Phil, and while Matty seems vehemently opposed to the plan, he agrees.

The subsequent sewer sequence is both visceral and terrifying, as Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård) finally appears in the flesh. Let’s dive deeper.

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Skarsgård’s Pennywise is still effective as a force of pure cosmic evil

Pennywise pulls off a classic trick to lure the children inside the sewers: he impersonates one of them to appeal to their trust. In “It,” Pennywise impersonates Georgie (Jackson Robert Scott) to trick Bill (Jaeden Martell) and his friends, but this ploy eventually doesn’t work on the Losers Club. In contrast, Lilly and co. aren’t well-versed with Pennywise’s tricks, so they’re blindsided once “Matty” starts singing and morphing into the dancing clown. They scream and scatter, completely unprepared to deal with this primordial threat. This is understandable, as Hanlon and the others don’t have much luck either; Pennywise uses their deepest fears against them to tear the military squad apart.

Skarsgård has always been brilliant as Pennywise, and his appearance immediately injects a visceral thrill into an already terrifying episode. Once the real Matty’s decaying body floats up, Pennywise relishes in the group’s collective fear, as they’re not brave enough to stand their ground and fight. Lilly gets cornered in the process, and this moment feels especially chilling, with Pennywise opening his maw wide to chomp on her flesh. The star fragment weapon saves the day, but this brief Pennywise sighting is enough to make it clear that things are only going to get worse from now on.

Even when he’s not onscreen, Pennywise is able to trigger gruesome events. He tricks Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk) into opening a cerebral Pandora’s box and inadvertently causes the death of Hanlon’s partner, Russo (Rudy Mancuso). Although Hanlon and the kids make it out of the sewers, we must prepare ourselves for more of Skarsgård’s Pennywise, who has finally decided to parade around Derry as an evil dancing clown in broad daylight.

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Read the original article on SlashFilm.