The IT: Welcome to Derry panel didn’t kick off until 9:15pm at San Diego Comic-Con, but trust us, there’s a good reason it ran after dark.
HBO Max dropped the first 10 minutes of the new series, and it was extremely not-for-kids: think demonic births, body horror, and some of the most grotesque imagery ever shown at the Con.
Set in 1962, the cold open follows a troubled boy wandering snowy Derry before he hitches a ride with a seemingly normal family. Cue the blood, liver snacks, and an actual bat-winged demon baby.
It’s a full-blown nightmare, ending with the kid’s violent death and a familiar floaty pacifier drifting toward – you guessed it – the sewer.
But the horror isn’t the only draw. In a post-screening Q&A, creators Andy and Barbara Muschietti teased deep dives into Derry’s past, including references to King’s larger universe.
That includes The Shining’s Dick Halloran, who plays a key role in the series, and plans (if renewed) to move even further back in time, exploring infamous events like the Black Spot fire and the Kitchener Ironworks explosion. Oh, and yes, Bill Skarsgård is back as Pennywise.
With links to Shawshank, deeper lore on Pennywise’s Bob Gray origin, and a big ol’ R-rated greenlight, Welcome to Derry is shaping up to be much more than a creepy clown show.
It’s a bloody, lore-packed expansion of King’s twisted world.
