IT: Welcome to Derry

Although one could certainly debate how well director Andy Muschietti succeeded in bringing the hugely successful It films to fruition a few years ago, despite a few minor issues, particularly in the second and final chapters of the adaptation of Stephen King's iconic novel, I believe they still stand as robust, modern horror films. In fact, they are shining examples of how certain horror films maintain a consistent, high standard of quality throughout, even when budgets have been high.

For the same reasons, I have been a little nervous about Welcome to Derry, which at first seemed like a pointless extension of the universe, designed to stretch a cinema success to its economic breaking point. But then Muschietti himself came on board as director, and Bill Skarsgaard joined the cast, and a glimmer of hope began to sprout, because maybe this would turn out not to be quite as cynical as it might have seemed at first?

I am here today to tell you that while there are a number of points where Welcome to Derry does not quite live up to the two films that serve as the narrative basis for this prequel story, there are far, far more where you can really feel that Muschietti knows and masters this universe and knows exactly how to craft an effective horror story with some of the most hair-raising, brutal, and effective sequences I have ever seen in a television series.

Muschietti may have been behind the misstep that was The Flash, but through Mama, It, and It: Chapter Two, he has demonstrated time and time again that he has a knack for the horror genre, and it's clear from the very first terrifying intro sequence that Welcome to Derry is structured the way it is because there is experience behind the camera. Just like in both films, individual horror vignettes are woven into a broader narrative, which is explained narratively by the fact that the evil that dwells in Derry feeds on fear before finally consuming its victim. We are introduced to a new gang of children, only this time 27 years before the events of the first film, who once again aim to investigate, solve, and ultimately save themselves and each other from the ferocious evil that we already know goes by the name of "It", but which often takes the form of the clown Pennywise, played once again by Skarsgaard.

Because we are in the 1960s, systematic racism in Maine plays a slightly larger role, but overall it is just another way in which It is as much about the deconstruction of the American idyllic "small town" as it is about an evil clown who eats children. The films, and the novel, also tackle issues such as bullying in order to break down the illusion the barricades that are formed around normative behaviour, and it's only fitting that it's only the children, the innocent ones, who experience all this injustice, while the adults, who themselves help to create and maintain the illusion, are not quite as vulnerable or aware.

Welcome to Derry is therefore, like the films before it, about the children, and even though they broadly achieve their goal here, they are not quite as convincing as the beloved "Losers Club" consisting of Jaeden Martell, Finn Wolfhard, Jack Dylan Grazer, Sophia Lillis, and Wyatt Olef, among others. Some of the storytelling falters, some of the emotional "stakes" are telegraphed ambiguously, and the script also runs into dead ends at times, where the only way out seems to be over-dramatisation or clichés.

That said, Welcome to Derry manages to tell an effective story in broad strokes, even though those who think the mystery surrounding "It" is crucial to its effectiveness may feel that the series makes the investigation and explanation of its existence a bit banal. That said, the tension is maintained throughout, even though we know that the attempt to defeat Pennywise will fail, at least in part, since he returns several times afterwards, which says something about how far good craftsmanship can take you.

The vignettes I mentioned earlier are simply among the wildest, most boundary-pushing, and hair-raising I have ever seen, seriously putting even the It films to shame in terms of inventiveness and technical ingenuity. Of course, they may be a little far between, but they naturally make up the majority of the film's scary scenes. Not all of them work equally well - a bike ride through a cemetery has a bit of a Goonies vibe in a bad way - but most of them last 5-7 minutes and are so intense that my girlfriend and I had to exchange glances in sheer disbelief that Muschietti and company got away with this. Believe me when I say that Welcome to Derry is not for the faint of heart, and even makes the recent Alien: Earth series seem like a PG-13.

There is a slightly annoying "glow" in the image, which is probably a stylistic choice to reflect the trends of the time, but it makes the series look cheaper than it actually is, and I would have preferred a slightly more matte image in general, and as I said, there are a few effects scenes that fall a little apart. But overall, with its solid pacing, truly scary and innovative horror sequences, and a strong narrative core about isolation, innocence, and the decay and fear that lurk behind our constructed facades, Muschietti and company pull off what could have been an obvious flop incredibly well.