What to know before you watch 'It: Welcome to Derry'

Just in time for Halloween, everyone’s favorite balloon-wielding and nightmare-inducing clown Pennywise is back on screen with “It: Welcome to Derry.”

Premiering tonight on HBO, “It: Welcome to Derry,” takes place in the same universe/timeline of the 2017 movie “It” and its sequel “It Chapter Two,” both based on Stephen King’s 1986 novel, “It.”

The show is working as a prequel taking audiences back to the 1960s in the fictional town of Derry, Maine, home to small town folks and that insidious dancing clown.

Read on for all the details about the show before you watch (and for fun, count how many times “It” is mentioned in this article!)

What is the origin of “It: Welcome to Derry?”

In 1986, Stephen King released one of his most enduring and creepy novels, “It,” about a group of children terrorized in small town Derry, Maine by an entity known as Pennywise the Clown. The children defeat Pennywise but he pops back up 27 years later to wreak havoc and feed on their fear again, and the group of now adults has to defeat him once more.

But Pennywise isn’t just some ghostly murder clown. He, or “It” really, is an ancient being that feeds on fear and has been on earth for millions of years, setting up shop in the area that eventually became Derry.

Throughout the book, the group’s resident historian Mike Hanlon shares research he’s done on the town’s history, and those interludes are the main inspiration for the prequel series.

When does “It: Welcome to Derry?” take place?

The first season takes place in 1962, 27 years before the events of the first “It” film. According to director Andy Muschietti, who directed the recent “It” films, the time period offers a “different kind of fear” running through the town, like racial issues, nuclear war, and foreign attacks, all fears and tension on which Pennywise can feed and provoke further.

“Everything about Derry relates to the real world, to the point where everything horrible that happens in Derry can actually happen in every town in America,” he explains in a behind the scenes interview from HBO, adding, “Is all of this a product of supernatural evil or the evil intrinsic to human beings?”

What’s happening in “It: Welcome to Derry?”

Much of the series focuses on Mike Hanlon’s grandparents, Leroy, an Air Force pilot, and Charlotte, and their son Will (Mike’s eventual father), who move to Derry so Leroy can work on a nearby military base to get “a little taste of normal.” No easy task with a killer clown as a neighbor!

We also get a wider exploration into the history of Derry and Pennywise, including a look at the man who came before the clown, as well as the Native Americans local to the area who faced the entity many generations ago.

And it wouldn’t be “It” without a group of kids tussling with Pennywise and trying to understand the horrors surrounding them.

Who’s in the cast?

Bill Skarsgård reprises his role of Pennywise the Clown, joining Jovan Adepo as Leroy, Taylour Paige as Charlotte, and James Remar as General Shaw. Mikkal Karim-Fidler, Clara Stack, and Amanda Christine make up the new group of youngsters on the Pennywise case.

Do I need to watch the movies to get what’s going on?

From the descriptions available, it doesn’t sound like you have to have seen “It” and “It Chapter Two,” but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to have a general understanding of what’s happening in the show.

Wait, have I seen “It” before?

There was another famous adaptation of “It” in 1990, the two part miniseries memorably starring Tim Curry as Pennywise. The cast is also packed with stars, including John Ritter, Harry Anderson, Richard Thomas, Annette O’Toole, Dennis Christopher, Tim Reid, Seth Green, and Jonathan Brandis.

Is there any crossover between “It” and other Stephen King novels?

Yes! Dick Hallorann, the telepathic head chef from “The Shining” who mentors young Danny Torance before things get scary, makes an appearance in the show, as he does in the novel. According to The New York Times, there are other references to King’s vast library of work as well.

When and where can I watch “It: Welcome to Derry?”

“It: Welcome to Derry,” airs weekly on Sunday nights on HBO, with eight episodes in total.

Will I be scared?

Unless you’re incredibly chill about killer clowns and other existential fears, absolutely!