5 Stephen King Universe References in It: Welcome to Derry
It: Welcome to Derry has hit screens and made an immediate impact. Its astonishing twist—yes, the one you are thinking of—coupled with the ambition of its premise, is what sets this series apart. Produced by Andy Muschietti, who directed the cinematic adaptations, this series is much more than a mere prequel to It. It also serves as a complex and expansive exploration of Stephen King's universe, arriving on HBO Max in all its intricacies.
It: Welcome to Derry, which debuted on Sunday and is set to release its second chapter this Friday—just in time for Halloween—returns to the enigmatic titular town. However, it takes a step back 27 years from the original "Losers" fight against Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård) to recount the monster’s earlier attack. This narrative choice sheds light on several intriguing aspects, such as how the creature's influence is ever-present and escalating (now with new abilities) and how its parasitic relationship with the town is longstanding.
As a prequel, the series effectively links Pennywise’s presence to a series of increasingly violent misfortunes. It delves into the origin of the creature, portraying it as something much more complex than a typical ghost or demon. The premise spans several decades and includes events beyond Derry, which illuminate the peril that everyone—not just the residents—faces. This theme is expected to become progressively significant as the chapters unfold, revealing the true horror of the story.
To dive deeper into the series, the first chapter generously showcases the direction of its narrative and, more interestingly, how it connects to Stephen King's universe. The author has crafted his works into a shared world tinged with cosmic horror that extends across decades and parallel realities. It: Welcome to Derry is keenly aware of this aspect as it tells its story, incorporating various cross-references that enrich the viewer's experience.
The Hanlon Family: A Key Connection
If you are a fan of the It saga, you will recognize the surname of one of the main characters in the narrative. Leroy Hanlon (Jovan Adepo), a pilot and terrified resident of Derry, returns to the town only to discover a lurking invisible evil. It is also revealed that he is the grandfather of Mike Hanlon, portrayed as a child by Chosen Jacobs and as an adult by Isaiah Mustafa.
Leroy serves as more than just a connection to the novel's central character; he also links to the consistently hinted connection between various military radioactive experiments and events in Stephen King's universe. The most notable among these is the incident that opened the reality breach leading to the events of the novella The Mist. This point also seems to probe the cosmic nature of Pennywise.
Returning to a Beloved Character
In one of the blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments of the first chapter of It: Welcome to Derry, Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk) makes a brief appearance. A character of considerable importance in The Shining and its sequel, Doctor Sleep, Dick is the head chef at the Overlook Hotel in Colorado.
He is also the first character in King's extensive journey to explore the supernatural and describe psychic abilities, termed the shining. He becomes the first to alert Danny Torrance (Danny Lloyd) to the dangers posed by his extraordinary skills. Thus, Dick emerges as a vital source of knowledge for the young Danny.
In the HBO Max series, the character has not yet displayed his abilities but shows keen interest in Leroy Hanlon, suggesting that he may sense the danger lurking in Derry and the terrifying events awaiting in the seemingly peaceful streets of the town.
The Cosmic Origin of Pennywise
Though Pennywise has yet to make a physical appearance in the first episode—unless the nightmarish baby in the final scene counts—he is everywhere. More importantly, the series hints that his power does not stem from anything known to the world. The episode, while not explicit, makes it clear that the central monster is capable of altering reality itself. This ability to do so at a total and twisted level places him at the center of something even more sinister.
Pennywise's powers have been exhibited previously, but the series now cleverly connects these abilities to whatever is occurring at the nearby military base—implying that the entity may be impossible to stop by any human means—be it religious, shamanic, or magical.
Skin Lamps for a Terrifying Chapter
One of the most memorable scenes in the first episode of It: Welcome to Derry features Teddy (Mikkal Karim-Fidler) experiencing a nightmare vision. After a heated argument with his parents, the boy learns the horrifying fact that there were lamps made from human skin in Nazi concentration camps. This grotesque aspect of genocidal violence transforms into a sequence for the history of horror cinema.
In a moment of terror, Teddy visualizes one of the lamps in his room morphing into a lamp made of human skin. This gruesome image, terrifying by necessity, also signifies Pennywise’s insatiable appetite for fear. This twist highlights the true nature of the macabre entity.
Moreover, this scene connects the series to one of Stephen King's most unsettling short stories. In 1982, the writer published the collection Different Seasons. The second story, Apt Pupil, includes a practically identical scene. In this story, Todd, a macabre teenage protagonist, becomes obsessed with Nazi torture methods, leading to terrifying nightmares, including visions of skin lamps rolling engulfed in flames across the floor. Much like Teddy’s experience, this scene explores a type of evil connected to the darkness within men—a theme that the series revisits frequently.
The Importance of the Turtle
In one poignant scene from the first chapter of the series, Susie (Matilda Legault) clutches her charm bracelet during a moment of deep pain. Among the little metal trinkets, a turtle can be seen, a creature with profound significance in King’s lore.
Pennywise was created simultaneously with a benevolent entity, Maturin, the Turtle, who serves as its polar opposite and symbolizes strength for the original Losers' Club members. The Turtle is also one of the twelve animals that appear in the Dark Tower books, guarding The Beams, invisible forces of energy that lead directly to the titular tower at the center of existence.
Thus, it is suggested that the power of this ancient and benevolent entity may significantly influence the events that unfold, especially in the battle against Pennywise.
For more insights into the connections between It: Welcome to Derry and Stephen King's universe, check out this video that explores the intricacies of the series:
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