HBO Max Drops Surprise Welcome to Derry Halloween Episode

The Halloween special, titled “A Story of Derry,” is now streaming on HBO Max. Its story takes place centuries before the events of It: Welcome to Derry and the appearance of Pennywise, the shape-shifting evil at the center of the series. The episode’s premise follows three young people venturing into the Western Wood, where they encounter an ancient spirit.

The series is a prequel to the It films released in 2017 and 2019, and is based on Stephen King’s novel. Its first season takes place in 1962 in the fictional Maine community of Derry.

A second season is in development and will move the story back to 1935, during the Great Depression. It is set to center on a band of armed thieves who arrive in Derry to purchase ammunition before facing supernatural terror. The season is expected in late 2027 or 2028, and showrunner Brad Caleb Kane has said the scripts are about halfway written.