Welcome to Derry is dropping in October, and we’re all hoping this series dives deep into the IT mythos. We’ve talked before about the Black Spot, its connection to IT, and the chilling Ritual of Chüd used to lock up Pennywise the Dancing Clown. But some mysteries still linger, and fingers crossed, the show will finally shine a light on them.
One HUGE question: What’s up with Derry’s adults? How can they just stand by, decade after decade, while horrors unfold, tragedies strike, and kids vanish? Fans have always wondered why no survivors ever tried to raise the alarm or hunt down IT for good. Instead, the adults of Derry just… accept it. Their silence lets Pennywise feast on their fear and ignorance. But why?
To get to the bottom of this, we gotta understand IT’s origins, its powers, and its link to Derry. Lore says IT came from a void outside our universe called the Macroverse. Some even say IT was created by “the Other,” the same being who made Maturin the Turtle – our universe’s creator!
How IT got here is a mystery, but it showed up on Earth in a major event. The crater in the movies? That’s likely an asteroid impact in North America, the future site of Derry, Maine. We know IT is a predator that feeds on human flesh, especially the fear-salted meat of terrified victims (with a preference for children, since they’re easier to scare).
IT usually wakes up after a big tragedy, like the Claude Heroux killings or the Kitchener Ironworks explosion. Then it feeds for a year, with kids disappearing and being murdered in Derry, before hibernating for 27 years. These disappearances? They barely get reported in this messed-up town.
But the novels reveal that Pennywise has low-level omnipotence, mind control, possession, and illusions. Some believe IT’s power rivals Maturin the Turtle’s. These abilities let IT mess with the minds of Derry’s citizens, making them numb to the horrors around them. But the real effects are even darker.
The books and movies show a cycle of trauma and abuse that traps generations in Derry. IT feeds on fear and hopelessness. It awakens, feeds, and sleeps for 27 years, leaving behind survivors who pass on their trauma to the next generation, giving IT even MORE to exploit. Look at Henry Bowers, abused by his father, leading to the psychotic tendencies that IT then uses to manipulate him.
IT also messes with people’s memories. When the Losers Club leaves Derry, they suppress their childhood traumas and forget about IT. Same with other adults. They become numb to the disappearances, violence, and tragedies, letting IT feed undisturbed.
In the end, IT is deeply connected to Derry and affects the whole town. As long as IT is fed and rests, the town stays the same. But when the Losers defeated IT, the psionic storm of released souls wrecked Derry, damaging downtown and flooding buildings. Derry’s economy tanked, turning it into another dead Maine town.
Welcome to Derry is perfectly set up to explore this collective apathy. Showing why Derry’s residents enable the town’s darkness will make the series even scarier. After all, what’s more terrifying than a monster? The people who let it thrive on their suffering.
Series premieres October 26th
