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Audiences are thrilled for the Stephen King adaptation It: Welcome to Derry, which is garnering praise and incorporating references from additional King stories. Following the premiere, the broadcaster has revealed that the second installment will debut sooner than expected, released fittingly for Halloween.

Schedule Change Information

Starting on Halloween night at midnight PT, episode two of the Derry prequel will make its debut on HBO Max, before its Sunday HBO premiere. Future chapters of the show's first season will premiere on Sundays on the network and streaming service, building toward the final episode on the 14th of December.

Show Background

Based in the world of King's It, the new series draws from King’s iconic novel while enlarging the universe established by director Andy Muschietti in the recent movie adaptations. The first It movie centered on young characters battling unimaginable horrors, thus it's suitable that the prequel upholds that legacy. However, the premiere episode of HBO’s Welcome to Derry proves it aimed to increase the tension, delivering even more intense scares than the movies and creating a brutal tone for the upcoming episodes.

Setting and Themes

Taking place in the 1960s, the program introduces a fresh cast of parents and youngsters residing in a apparently peaceful community concealing a dark secret. Derry operates on a brutal, periodic loop—characterized by aggression, prejudice, and paranormal events, as a evil entity reappears once every three decades. While Welcome to Derry might seem like it leans too heavily to the cinematic adaptations on the surface, what differentiates the digital program is its parallel storytelling—unfolding through the eyes of both children and adults simultaneously. The kids remain especially susceptible to the monster's horror, but grown-ups don't escape confronting their individual fears stemming from the town's ingrained prejudice and hidden paranormal elements.

The series premieres on Halloween at 3 a.m. EST.