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2017’s “It”\u00a0and its sequel, 2019’s “It Chapter Two,”\u00a0were wildly successful in re-introducing Pennywise \u2014 a demonic entity haunting the town of Derry \u2014 to the masses. Bill Skarsg\u00e5rd expertly brought the dancing clown to life to the point where it is tough to narrow down Pennywise’s scariest moments<\/a> in those two films. That’s a testament to director Andy Muschietti, who also directed the first episode of the new HBO\u00a0Max series “It:\u00a0Welcome to Derry.”\u00a0The opening scene of “Welcome to Derry”<\/a>\u00a0is truly horrific, and there are plenty of nods to the “It”\u00a0novel from Stephen King. But the first episode also includes a reference to another Muschietti project that most people probably don’t remember very fondly.<\/p>\n In one scene, Teddy Uris (Mikkal Karim-Fidler) is eating dinner with his family when he asks about whether or not someone could be held in the sewers, referencing his belief that Matty Clements (Miles Ekhardt) could be down there. His father scolds him for asking about such nonsense and then takes a comic book Teddy has brought to the table to declare, “Reality is terrifying enough as it is, cut it out with the fantasy.”\u00a0He tosses the book aside, but those with eagle eyes will notice that it’s no random comic: it’s\u00a0“The Flash”\u00a0#123. Muschietti directed 2023’s “The Flash,”\u00a0which bombed\u00a0at the box office<\/a>. The inclusion of\u00a0“The Flash”\u00a0#123 is no coincidence \u2014 it features two Flashes from different realities. That’s similar to the plot of 2023’s “The Flash,” where two Flashes (both played by Ezra Miller) also meet.<\/p>\n