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Excitement is building for the Stephen King adaptation It: Welcome to Derry, already garnering praise and drawing from elements from the broader King universe. Following the premiere, HBO has revealed that the next chapter will premiere ahead of schedule, scheduled ideally for Halloween.

Schedule Change Details

Beginning on October 31 at 3 a.m. EST, the next part of the Derry prequel will premiere on HBO's online platform, ahead of its Sunday HBO premiere. The remaining installments of the series run will be released on the weekend on HBO and HBO Max, culminating in the concluding chapter on December 14th.

Storyline Summary

Set in Stephen King’s It universe, Welcome to Derry borrows elements from the original story while expanding on the world realized by the It movie director in the recent movie adaptations. The first It movie highlighted kids and teens battling supernatural evils, making it appropriate that the prequel follows in those footsteps. Yet, the debut of HBO’s Welcome to Derry demonstrates it set out to increase the tension, delivering heightened horror than Muschietti’s films and setting a brutal tone for the upcoming episodes.

Story World and Concepts

Located in the early '60s, the program features a different group of grown-ups and kids inhabiting a seemingly idyllic town hiding a dark secret. The town follows a cruel, recurring cycle—defined by aggression, prejudice, and paranormal events, as a terrifying being resurfaces each 27-year cycle. While Welcome to Derry might sound like it strays too near to the films on the surface, what differentiates the streaming show is its two-sided viewpoint—unfolding through the viewpoints of young and old simultaneously. The kids stay highly exposed to the monster's horror, but the adults also face confronting their individual fears stemming from local discrimination and covert otherworldly powers.

It: Welcome to Derry airs on the 31st of October at 12 a.m. Pacific Time.