HBO’s It: Welcome To Derry Will Be Lovecraftian In Season 2

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and stories like The Mist, The Shawshank Redemption, and Carrie.

HBO's It: Welcome to Derry had a lot to offer to Stephen King fans. However, one of its biggest and most shocking twists came towards the end. In its final episode, the show's season 1 established how Pennywise is nothing like humans and looms above them like an almost Lovecraftian omniscient presence.

Pennywise Has Always Been One Of Stephen King's Most Lovecraftian Monster

Beyond his clown-like get-up and red balloons, Pennywise is nothing but a trans-dimensional entity whose nature and psychological impact on humans perfectly align with Lovecraftian horror. Like the Great Old Ones and Outer Gods in Lovecraftian lore, Pennywise arrived on Earth far before humans and existed even before the planet.

The being exists as a nemesis to Maturin, who, according to Stephen King's lore, is a giant cosmic turtle who vomited the known universe into existence.

Like Lovecraftian gods, Pennywise is also incomprehensible in its true form. Humans are biologically not capable of understanding Pennywise in its real form, explaining why they go insane and die or end up in a trance-like state when they gaze directly into The Deadlights. Similar to Pennywise's Existence Outside Space & Time Makes Him Even More Lovecraftian In Season 2

By harkening back to some of the darkest moments from Derry's history, including the infamous Bradley Gang massacre, It: Welcome to Derry will show how helpless humans are against Pennywise's influence. By collectively contaminating the minds of all the people in Derry, Pennywise will drive ordinary citizens to commit horrific acts.

With this, Pennywise and the new Derry-centric story will seem even more Lovecraftian in It: Welcome to Derry season 2. Hopefully, the HBO show will not shy away from embracing these cosmic horror elements while still honoring Stephen King's original story.

7/10

Release Date

October 26, 2025

It: Welcome to Derry serves as a prequel to the 2017 film It, exploring the sinister history of Derry, Maine. Set in 1962, the series follows a family that relocates to the town amidst unsettling occurrences and the mysterious disappearance of a young boy.

Network

HBO

Cast