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This debut of Welcome to Derry this weekend takes audiences once again to 1962, as a new group of kids faces an age-old, fear-consuming jester. Considering the original It story centered heavily around teens in danger, it's unsurprising that this show follows a similar trajectory. But, Welcome to Derry ramps up the horror to a greater degree than the recent films, establishing its harsh tone quicker than anyone might expect.

An Icy Start in a Doomed Town

The series starts on a snowy winter evening in the haunted town of Derry, Maine, set in the year 1962. Following getting thrown out of a movie theater for slipping in and declining to return to his house to his violent parents, a 12-year-old youth (Miles Ekhardt) clutches his pacifier for solace while hitchhiking away from the city. After he's eventually given a ride, the freezing boy agrees. It doesn't take long, however, for him to realize the scale of his error.

We will stop at this point to avoid spoiling any details from the episode. Suffice to say that Welcome to Derry acts quickly in demonstrating just how explicit and frightening the series will be, particularly regarding the brutality experienced by minors in the locale.

From start to finish, the series' debut chapter proves its makers aren't afraid to "go there," to the point that it probably ought to include a content warning for those uncomfortable to aggression against young people; it's truly that disturbing.

A New Take to Horror

Showrunner the series' lead has in the past likened Pennywise to the shark from Jaws, a creature shown in glimpses that leads toward a major payoff. In Welcome to Derry, however, the emphasis moves toward more transforming terrors evocative of Stephen King's initial novel. With the extended duration and high-quality of an premium production, the program takes its time exploring these terrors instead of rushing to highlight the clown, resulting in a creepier, heightened fright than the 2017 and 2019 films.

Is This For You?

Any viewer with the slightest knowledge of It ought to know what they're in for when it involves violence toward children, but Welcome to Derry cranks the volume up to 11 when compared to the TV series and including the movies. Given that, it merits a PSA if those adaptations are where one draws the line. Yet still, It: Welcome to Derry is an excellent series with a first installment that's a perfect watch for the Halloween time of year.

• Explicit violence involving minors
• Extended runtime for deeper terror building
• More transformative horrors from the source book
• Sets a darker tone than earlier versions