Welcome To Derry’s First Episode Ended With The Movie Theater Slaughter

A prequel to the “It” series that delves into the details of Stephen King’s famous story may have initially seemed a little too vague to pull off, and perhaps even a little boring. But “It: Welcome to Derry” announced itself with an episode that immediately removed those doubts by disemboweling a group of kids. The Welcome to Derry pilot culminated in a shocking ending that saw the show’s version of the Loser’s Club literally ripped limb from limb by a flying demon child. The obvious idea here was that in Welcome to Derry, no one was safe, and that’s exactly what creators Jason Foxx and Barbara and Andy Muschietti had planned.

Aside from expanding on the tradition established by 2017’s “It” and 2019’s “It: Chapter 2,” “Welcome to Derry” was a surprisingly gruesome and terrifying series that actually managed to top both films in terms of sheer terror and gore. That becomes clear from the beginning when a family of four picks up Miles Eckhart’s Matty Clements, only for the mother to give birth to the aforementioned demon child in a horrific scene that immediately proves the show’s willingness to push the envelope.

This abandoned hellhole returns at the end of the pilot to unleash torment on Phil Malkin (Jacques Molloy Legault), Teddy Uris (Mikal Karim Fiedler), and Susie Malkin (Hunter Storm Baker), who all suffer violent deaths at the hands of this abomination. The least that can be said is that such a horrific scene was unexpected, especially considering how the rest of the episode seems to make the victims main characters. However, for the co-creators of the HBO series, this was exactly their death knell.

Andy and Barbara Muschietti participated in a Reddit AMA for “It: Welcome to Derry,” where they were asked if they find it difficult to write famous characters. In response, Andy wrote about his “level of emotion” and how he enjoys being “affected by films”, adding: “I love crying in front of the screen.” The director referenced a major death in Episode 7 of “Welcome to Derry,” where Rich Santos (Arian S. Cartaya) sacrifices himself to save Marge Truman (Matilda Lawler). As Andy explained, “Richie’s death was important to us to create a tragic love story that was going to touch people’s hearts in a way that a happy ending couldn’t.”

But the movie theater massacre in the pilot episode was created with a completely different goal. “It was more of a shock to the audience with the idea that no one in this world will ever be safe, creating a reaction of unpredictability,” Andy said. In a previous interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the co-creator, who also directed four episodes, explained this idea, saying, “You want to create an event that gives the audience a sense that if these kids are getting smoked at the end of the first episode, nothing is sacred.” […] In this world, no one will be safe. So, technically, that was the intention.”

Meanwhile, Barbara Muschietti revealed in a behind-the-scenes featurette that this was actually one of the first things the writers came up with. “One of the first ideas in the writers room was that once the audience falls in love with a group of losers, give them a little quick exit.” The only problem now is how the creators will handle things in the future.

At the time of writing, “It: Welcome to Derry” has not yet been renewed, which is somewhat surprising given the positive critical reaction to the show and how well it has fared in the ratings. Not only does Welcome to Derry have an 80% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it also has one of the top three highest-grossing series debuts in HBO Max history. According to Warner Bros. Discovery, the series’ debut ranks first behind “The Last of Us” and “Game of Thrones” series “House of the Dragon” in terms of viewership. The series also appears to have maintained its momentum, with the standout seventh episode (which adapted the most disturbing moment from Stephen King’s novel “It”) bringing in record numbers of viewers.

All of this means that it would be a big surprise if Welcome to Derry isn’t renewed for a second season. If that happens, it will be interesting to see how Al Muschietti and Jason Foxx manage to subvert expectations once again. Heading into the first episode of Season 1, fans didn’t know what to expect, so the co-creators could play on that fact and surprise viewers with the sheer level of violence displayed during that shocking climax. With Season 2, we’ll all be ready for it. Since the creators of Welcome to Derry have an ambitious trilogy of seasons planned, the Muschiettis and Fuchs have a more challenging task on their hands if the show reaches a third season. It remains to be seen if this means the series will get even more brutal next time around, but I can’t wait to see how things turn out.