IT: WELCOME TO DERRY Slipped in a Deep-Cut STORM OF THE CENTURY Reference

It: Welcome to Derrykept proving it’s not just a prequel digging around Pennywise’s past. It’s also having a lot of fun stitching itself into the deeper corners of Stephen King lore.

Episode 7, which centers on the horrific burning of the Black Spot, pulls off one of the show’s sneakiest nods. This one isn’t aimed at casual viewers or even most King fans. It’s a deep cut that reaches all the way back to one of his strangest TV projects, Storm of the Century.

Out of all the King projects that have been produced, It: Welcome to Derry has carved out its own lane by expanding the world established in It and It: Chapter Two, while also sneaking in references that reward fans who’ve spent years swimming through King’s stories.

Throughout its first season, the HBO series peppers in those kinds of details. The reference to Storm of the Century in Episode 7 arrives during the Black Spot sequence, when the Maine Legion of White Decency storms the building with murderous intent.

In an interview with Deadline, co-creator and showrunner Jason Fuchs explained that the show is built as “a love letter to Stephen King canon” and made it clear that these callbacks aren’t accidental.

As he put it, “more often than not, the references are King.” He also touched on how the series plays with Pennywise’s strange relationship to time, which pulls from larger King mythology.

According to Fuchs, “in terms of the reference to its uncertain relationship with time, that to me is more inspired by things like the Wheel of Ka, which is a piece of Stephen King mythology [from the ‘Dark Tower’ books] about the cyclical forces of destiny and fate.”

Then there’s the moment no one would’ve noticed had Fuchs not pointed it out. Fuchs revealed there was a specific reference that had flown completely under the radar. “When Bowers and his gang storm into the barracks [...] they are looking for Hank,” he said, “and they say, ‘Give us what we want, and we go away.’ Well, that’s actually a very specific reference to the miniseries Storm of the Century.”

For anyone unfamiliar, Storm of the Century is a 1999 television miniseries that King wrote directly for the screen rather than adapting from one of his books.

The three-part event aired on ABC and followed the residents of Little Tall Island, Maine, as they prepared for a brutal winter storm. Tim Daly starred as constable Mike Anderson, whose job becomes much worse with the arrival of Andre Linoge, played by Colm Feore. Linoge knows everyone’s secrets and uses that knowledge to push the town toward unspeakable choices.

The line “Give me what I want, and I’ll go away” is Linoge’s refrain throughout Storm of the Century, and that’s the exact phrase echoed during the Black Spot attack in It: Welcome to Derry. The line is spoken by a minor character, and never called attention to.

The show is far more focused on Pennywise, Derry’s history, and the broader mythology at play. That’s what makes the reference so cool. It’s there purely for the fans who know where to look.

Fuchs reinforced that idea when he talked about the creative philosophy behind the series. “We’re trying to make things feel like they are echoes in other corners of the Stephen King universe,” he said.

At the same time, he noted that the writers didn’t want the show to feel like “a grab bag of Stephen King influences.” In this case, the Storm of the Century callback isn’t about connecting timelines or suggesting shared events. It’s simply a nod to a lesser-known King story that deserves more love.