Welcome to Derry: Stephen King's IT universe expands with social horror

The series 'Welcome to Derry', available on Sky and streaming on NOW, expands Stephen King's IT universe beyond a prequel. Created by Andy Muschietti, director of IT, the show vivisects the town of Derry, transforming it into a narrative and artistic manifesto of America's evils. It shifts focus from the Losers' Club to previous generations, exploring how the town was already fertile ground for Pennywise. The series argues that Pennywise is not the cause of evil but its manifestation; the evil is embedded in the town's silences, hierarchies, and compromises. The show combines horror with social critique, addressing racism, gender violence, homophobia, systemic poverty, and erased historical memory. Unlike King's novel, where empathy is key, the series emphasizes collective trauma and institutional complicity—police, local press, politicians who pretend not to know. The monster evolves from a primordial evil feeding on individual fears to a symbol of hegemony that normalizes horror. The series updates King's myth for contemporary America, presenting horror as a civic novel about the foundations of community. Barbara Frigerio reports for Artribune.