HBO Drops Surprise 'It: Welcome to Derry' Prequel on Halloween

HBO released a surprise episode of "It: Welcome to Derry" on Halloween. The special, titled "A Story of Derry," is available on HBO Max. It runs for 30 minutes and depicts events that occurred hundreds of years before the main series timeline.

The release coincides with the spooky holiday. HBO renewed the series for a second season in August. The show first premiered on October 26, 2025. It serves as a prequel to the 2017 and 2019 film adaptations of Stephen King's novel "It."

Co-creator Andy Muschietti confirmed the writers' room for Season 2 is active. He noted that the upcoming season will explore the hardships of the era. "There's gonna be a lot of that depression-era hustling in the air in our characters," Muschietti told Variety. "Everybody's trying to get by and survive the circumstances. They are gonna do crazy things."

Muschietti stated that the new season will feature a distinct visual style from the first. He described the setting as bleak. "In this case, on the surface, Derry is a graveyard almost," he said. "It's a carcass of something because people are depleted, poor, tired, jobless, homeless. The kids don't have a suburban, comforting life."

Season 1 takes place in 1962 and follows residents' encounters with Pennywise. Season 2 shifts the timeline to 1935 during the Great Depression. The plot centers on the Bradley Gang, a group of bank robbers. They stop in Derry to purchase ammunition and face horror. This event is drawn from an interlude in King's original book.

Muschietti added that the environment will feel harsh for the new group of characters. Some are orphans or runaways. He said there is still a burning aspect of hope that keeps the group going despite the bleak surroundings.