9 months ago
Welcome to Derry Creators Discuss Pennywise's Scares and Prequel's Strategy
The creators of the new 'IT: Welcome to Derry' show decided to not show the scary clown, Pennywise, right away.
They wanted to make him even scarier by making us wait.
In the third episode, it looks like Pennywise might be in a dark crypt, but the characters aren't totally sure.
The creators think it is him, and they want viewers to think so too, but they are keeping a little mystery.
This show is set in 1962, a time when there was a lot of racism in America.
The show also explores why Pennywise keeps coming back to this town and why he likes to look like a clown.
The creators are fans of Stephen King's original stories and want to answer some big questions.
They are also using the show to talk about scary real-world problems like racism, which affected families in Derry.
The creators of 'IT: Welcome to Derry' are intentionally withholding Pennywise's full appearance to increase fear and combat audience desensitization.
Episode 3 features a cryptic appearance of a Pennywise-like creature in a crypt, with showrunners confirming it is intended to be Pennywise but maintaining some ambiguity.
The series explores other horrific manifestations of IT in Pennywise's absence, including a demon baby and a lampshade made of human faces.
The prequel is set in 1962 Derry, Maine, and addresses themes of racism and societal issues prevalent during that era.
Creators aim to answer questions about why IT chooses the form of Pennywise the Dancing Clown and why it remains in Derry.
- Who
- Co-showrunners and executive producers Brad Caleb Kane and Jason Fuchs, actors Blake Cameron James, Clara Stack, Amanda Christine, Arian S. Cartaya, Stephen Rider, Chris Chalk, and characters.
- What
- Discussion on the creative strategy behind withholding the full appearance of Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the prequel series 'IT: Welcome to Derry,' and the implications of his hinted presence in Episode 3.
- Where
- Derry, Maine (setting for the series); HBO and HBO Max (platforms for the series).
- When
- The events of Episode 3 take place in 1962. The discussion is current, referencing the release of Episode 3.
- Why
- To make Pennywise scarier, address audience desensitization, explore deeper questions about IT's nature and motivations, and highlight societal issues like racism within the narrative.
Creators' Stated Intent
Audience Interpretation
Pennywise's Appearance in Episode 3
Creators' Stated Intent
Co-showrunners cryptically tease the figure in the crypt, with one stating 'I don’t know. We think it is…' but later confirming, 'It is absolutely Pennywise. That’s what I’m going to say to your viewers, and they should go in thinking that.'
Audience Interpretation
The audience sees a shadowy figure in a crypt that looks familiar, and the children question 'What is that?' with one replying, 'it’s a clown.' This creates anticipation for Pennywise's eventual full reveal.
The Strategy of Withholding Pennywise
Creators' Stated Intent
The creators strategically withheld Pennywise to make him scarier again and to avoid audience desensitization, as Pennywise has become a pop culture figure.
Audience Interpretation
By not showing Pennywise immediately, the series builds anticipation and allows for other horrific manifestations of IT to be explored, such as the demon baby and the lampshade.
Key facts
- Show
- IT: Welcome to Derry
- Platform
- HBO and HBO Max
- Episode 3 Release Date
- November 9
- Episode 3 Appearance
- A Pennywise-like creature appears in a crypt in Episode 3.
- Setting
- 1962 Derry, Maine
- Themes Explored
- Racism, societal fractures, and the nature of the supernatural entity IT.
- Total Episodes
- 8
Quotes
Brad Caleb Kane
Co-showrunner and executive producer of "IT: Welcome to Derry"
“Is that Pennywise at the end of 103? I don’t know. We think it is…as you can tell by the end of the first episode, we tried to pull the rug out from underneath the audience. So right away, you feel like, no matter who I’m rooting for, nobody is safe in this show, and nothing is as it seems, and anything can happen.”
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“it might not be Pennywise”
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Jason Fuchs
Co-showrunner and executive producer of "IT: Welcome to Derry"
“I think it’s Pennywise, don’t you?”
deadline.com
“Why is it that IT, who can take virtually any form under the sun as a shape shifter, chooses to keep coming back to this form of Pennywise the Dancing Clown? Obviously, the book has hints and suggestions…but what does it all mean? What is it that draws IT to this form? We wanted to explore why an inter-dimensional entity, who is a creature of light in its most natural state, why that being would choose to remain in Derry. There are denser, seemingly more interesting hunting grounds beyond its environs? Why does it stay there?”
deadline.com
Will Hanlon
A character in "IT: Welcome to Derry"
“it’s a clown.”
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Arian S. Cartaya
Actor playing Rich in "IT: Welcome to Derry"
“It was definitely very creepy.”
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Amanda Christine
Actor playing Ronnie in "IT: Welcome to Derry"
“Why we would watch it at night? I don’t know, but we did, and it was scary.”
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Clara Stack
Actor playing Lilly in "IT: Welcome to Derry"
“So many of the scenes in this series are really intense and horrific, and there are definitely a lot of moments where we have to kind of dig deep and get to this vulnerable place.”
deadline.com
Rich
A character in "IT: Welcome to Derry"
“I mean, they must have evidence if they arrested him, right? This is America. You can’t just throw people in jail for nothing.”
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Will
A character in "IT: Welcome to Derry"
“Are we talking about the same country?”
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Andy Muschietti
Director and producer of "IT: Welcome to Derry"
“This family in particular, they come from the South where things are definitely tougher. So I think they come with expectations to Maine, and they find that no place in America is safe in those terms. There’s an internal fracture of beliefs. Leroy Hanlon is a guy that is in the military, lives in the system, and he’s married to Charlotte Hanlon. She’s an activist in the civil rights movement, and she does not believe in the system…so it’s an interesting dynamic for this family. They have to navigate these differences over the course of the story in which they have to face the adversity of not only the racial situation, but also their internal fracture and the presence of an inter-dimensional monster that wants to eat their child.”
deadline.com
