Starring: Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Matilda Lawler, Amanda Christine, Clara Stack, Blake Cameron James, Arian Cartaya, Chris Chalk, Peter Outerbridge, Madeleine Stowe, Bill Skarsgård
Developed By: Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, Jason Fuchs
Directed By: Andy Muschietti & Others
Studio: Warner Bros
Buy On Amazon.com

I never read IT, but I loved the newer movies from Andy Muschietti. If you’ve been wanting more from that world, you’re in luck! This prequel series is creepy, fun, and fits nicely alongside the films.

Welcome to Derry Season 1 takes place in 1962, when a young couple moves to Derry, Maine with their son. Of course, their arrival lines up with a kid going missing and a whole mess of weirdness kicking off. A group of local kids starts connecting the dots, while the army lurks around town doing some shady stuff. And yeah… it’s only a matter of time before everyone meets Pennywise.

I really liked how the season played out. The first episode is easily the most “WTF” of the bunch, packed with twists and bizarre moments. The kids are all great and give off that same “figuring things out as they go” energy from the movies. I also dug the added army storyline. It opens the door to a bigger shared universe for Stephen King books and novellas. You get Dick Hallorann (with Chris Chalk doing an awesome job), plus plenty of nods to Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. No Andy or Red cameos, thankfully, that probably would’ve felt forced.

One complaint I saw floating around was that Pennywise doesn’t really show up until a few episodes in. But honestly, he’s there the whole time…just not always in clown form. Bill Skarsgård once again crushes the role, and we even get a bit more backstory on Bob Gray. The final two episodes are easily the highlight. The school sequence where Pennywise sings is both catchy and deeply unsettling. Same goes for the tuba scene. Those moments alone made the season for me and made me laugh a bit.
Speaking of catchy, the theme song, 1956’s “A Smile and a Ribbon” by Patience and Prudence is a weirdly perfect fit. It’s the last thing you’d expect in a killer clown show, but it works. It also feels like there are little clues hidden in the intro, so I never skipped it.

There’s some bonus features like Inside Derry and “Fear The Other” but the show is the main selling point. I would have liked to have a digital code though.
Overall, Season 1 is a really fun watch and definitely leaves you wanting more. Season 2 is set to jump back another 27 years, so it’ll be interesting to see how it connects and whether they keep the same creepy-cute music vibe. Either way, I’m in.

Features:
Inside Derry – (3) extended behind-the-episode featurettes
Fear the Other – A featurette exploring 1962 Derry, touching on Jim Crow, the Red Scare, and government overreach on Indigenous lands

Video:
Codec: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Audio:
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
French, German: Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles:
English SDH, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish

Bottom Line: Really entertaining first season that makes you want more Pennywise.
Running Time: 515 mins
Rating: NR
Extras Rating:
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