Happy Halloween! Go Watch IT.
Fall season has arrived in earnest here in LA, where I’ve managed to look only slightly desperate when pulling out my cardigans before 5pm. Fall & Winter fashion is one of the things I miss most about New York, but I do appreciate the smaller window of time we get for it here. I think it makes my turtleneck evenings even more special. Of course, with October comes all things spooky, and I’ve been absolutely mesmerized by the first two episodes of IT: Welcome to Derry!
If you’re a child of the 90s and aren’t violently opposed to the idea of clowns, you’re probably aware of at least the popular limited series, if not the more recent film remakes, where a cosmic shapeshifting monster takes up residence in a quiet New England town, terrorizing the local youth. But as is custom these days, we have been given yet another window into the world of a horror classic. I’m inclined to give these things the benefit of the doubt and have long since overcome my own childhood coulrophobias (even Chucky, for the longest time a visitor to the more fear-inducing parts of my imagination, now feels more like an old friend I catch up with whenever Don Mancini decides to dust off his smiling, plastic face, and bless us with another slasher joyride), so I was looking forward to joining the rest of society in checking out the Welcome to Derry premiere, red balloons and all.
In an effort to make this a spoiler-free post, all I’ll say is you should go watch it. Very soon. But why I really had the motivation to put pen to paper is because of the cast, particularly the child actors. They are carrying this show on their little backs and it really is a joy to watch as a viewer and an actor. Welcome to Derry is set in suburban Maine in the 60s, where racism doesn’t manifest the way you might expect in, say, Django, but bubbles under the surface just enough to fuel the forward motion of some of the storylines in a very satisfying way. Watching these kids believably wrestle not only with the isolating terror that Pennywise is known for, but also all the very real consequences of how their declining mental states are viewed and preyed upon…it really makes the stomach curdle in a way that lingers a bit more than any of the major scares could accomplish. Everyone should keep their eyes on Amanda Christine and Clara Stack, whose careers are sure to have no end in sight if these first episodes are any indication.
Short post today as it is indeed Halloween and I’ve got my own scares to cook up. Season 1 runs for 8 episodes on HBO Max and should wrap up just before Christmas. It has been filling what has been a very Lovecraft Country sized hole in my horror heart and I hope you get a chance to be just as in awe of the talented cast as I am!