Welcome to Derry Episode 1 Recap — HBO’s Chilling Return to Stephen King’s Most Cursed Town

The curse of Derry returns — HBO’s Welcome to Derry pulls back the curtain on the origins of Pennywise’s nightmare.

HBO’s Welcome to Derry Opens the Floodgates of Fear — and It’s Already Floating High

The sewers of Derry are open again.

HBO’s Welcome to Derry — the long-awaited prequel series to It — has finally premiered, and from the first episode alone, it’s clear the creative team behind the It franchise isn’t afraid to dig deeper into the town’s cursed soil. Developed by It filmmakers Andy and Barbara Muschietti alongside Jason Fuchs, the series dives into the dark origins of Stephen King’s most haunted small town — and possibly the very beginnings of the creature that would become Pennywise.

Set decades before the events of the 2017 and 2019 films, the pilot introduces a new circle of young outsiders as the disappearances begin anew. The show wastes no time establishing its tone: eerie, brutal, and steeped in nightmare logic. After one of their friends mysteriously vanishes, the group begins to experience disturbing visions that blur the line between dream and reality — and hint at a force that has been festering beneath Derry long before any clown took the stage.

Leading the cast are Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, and Taylour Paige, alongside breakout performances from a fresh ensemble of younger actors that give Welcome to Derry its emotional weight. The adults aren’t safe from the terror, either; the series leans into the intergenerational trauma of Derry’s residents, exploring how fear, denial, and violence seep through decades like toxins in the water.

This isn’t just another nostalgia trip or jump-scare parade. The first episode flexes HBO’s signature production value — dense atmosphere, chilling cinematography, and a slow-burn sense of dread that feels more True Detective: Nightmares in Maine than a simple franchise spinoff. There are hints of a larger world here: military cover-ups, buried secrets, and a disturbing suggestion that whatever feeds Derry’s darkness might not be of this world at all.

Our instant reaction? Welcome to Derry is off to a terrifyingly strong start. The pilot delivers the unease and mystery of King’s world without relying on the same clown-faced theatrics — and while it may not answer every question yet, it’s laying down the roots of something big, strange, and deeply unsettling.

⭐ HMU Rating: 4 out of 5 for episode one — an atmospheric, gripping debut that promises the next great chapter in the It saga.

Episode 2 streams early this Halloween on Max, so grab your raincoats and red balloons — because the horror in Derry is just getting started.