My earliest memory of IT, the supernatural horror franchise from American author Stephen King, is ABC’s award-winning televisual adaptation shown on Sky One in the early nineties. It's available to stream on NOW (formerly NOW TV).
Fast forward to today. Sky Atlantic is showing where IT (see what I did there?) all began in this terrifying prequel series, tracing the origins of the murderous, shape-shifting entity known as Pennywise the Clown (Bill Skarsgård) in 1962 Derry.
King’s IT explores the horrors of childhood trauma, racism behind suburban picket fences and the omnipresent threat of nuclear war, all through the lens of the supernatural. As a coping mechanism, I immersed myself in science fiction following a life-changing injury in primary school and the subsequent fallout.
So, I found myself empathising with the children, relatives of members of the Losers’ Club, who could have been plucked from Stranger Things. The Derry kids are a great bunch of misfits to spend time with.
There are parallels with the Doctor Who episode Lux and DC Comics Easter eggs to find. The showrunners aren’t afraid to subvert expectations, and by the end of the first episode, all bets are off.
Set in the holiday season, Christmas is as much a time for ghost stories as Halloween, with Gremlins and Krampus creating chaos in the shadow of Santa Claus.
Have you watched IT: Welcome to Derry? Let me know in the comments below.
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