Why It: Welcome To Derry Didn't Bring Pennywise Back Until Episode 5
by Kieran Fisher · /FilmHe might be a poster child for coulrophobia, but there is more to Pennywise's abilities than taking on the guise of a demonic circus performer. As a shapeshifting being from the Macroverse, Pennywise can be anything — and the creators of "IT: Welcome to Derry" are out to reinforce this idea in their HBO series. This is why they held off on reintroducing Bill Skarsgard's scary clown until episode 5, "29 Neibolt Street," where he causes terror in the sewers.
In an interview with TV Guide, Jason Fuchs, the series co-showrunner, explained that the show's creatives want to take the less is more approach when it comes to unleashing Pennywise the Clown. They are more interested in exploring the idea of him being a manifestation of fear itself, as that opens the door to a treasure trove of frights. In his own words:
"We were intrigued by how to explore the mysteries of Pennywise, but also we wanted to slowly ratchet up that tension, and we wanted to use the space that long form storytelling provides to sort of see some of the other manifestations of IT. IT can become literally anything, so why not take advantage of that? Stephen King certainly does in the book."
This approach has allowed the series' creatives to get inventive with the show's spookier sequences. To give some examples, "IT: Welcome to Derry" channels gruesome real-world history to torment a boy whose family experienced the atrocities of the Holocaust. Elsewhere, the entity causes carnage in the form of mutant babies, deceased children, and other unexpected nightmares. This is arguably more interesting than the clown everyone already knows and fears, and long may this version of Pennywise continue.
Pennywise the Clown should be sparingly on IT: Welcome to Derry
"IT: Welcome to Derry" is an opportunity to make Pennywise truly scary again. Sure, his clown persona is terrifying to many folks, but horror works best when it preys on the fear of the unknown. At this point, the image of Pennywise the Clown is so familiar that it's pop culturally ubiquitous, which takes away some of his frightening appeal. With "Welcome to Derry," the morbid wonder lies in Pennywise's unpredictability and ability to manifest as terrors we haven't seen before — but that doesn't mean the clown can't still play a powerful role in causing nightmares.
In the interview with TV Guide, series producer Barbara Muschietti explained the upside of keeping the clown on the outskirts of the story. She noted that the sewer-dwelling mischief maker should be used when it's most effective — the main event after his other incarnations have sent everyone into a frenzy. As she put it:
"We can't allow the audience to get comfortable with Pennywise. He has to be unpredictable. He's our shark. You don't want to see him [too much]. Let's find out what our would-be heroes are really afraid of, the generational trauma that they're all feeling, and then twist the knife."
It's hard to argue with Muschietti's sentiment, especially after seeing how well it's worked in "IT: Welcome to Derry" season 1 thus far. Pennywise's lore runs deep, and an entire series that explores this notion has the potential to be terrifying and unpredictable for a while.
"IT: Welcome to Derry" is streaming on HBO Max.