"It: Welcome to Derry" Unveils Pennywise's Sinister Origins in Shocking Series Premiere

The highly anticipated "It: Welcome to Derry" series has premiered on HBO Max, kicking off a 3-season arc that explores the dark history and sinister origins of the franchise's iconic villain, Pennywise the Clown. The first episode, set in 1962, 25 years before the events of the 2017 film "It: Chapter One," introduces a new generation of Derry residents battling the town's clown-curse.

The premiere features several shocking and gory sequences, including a cold open in which a mother gives birth to a demonic baby that attacks an 11-year-old boy. Series co-creators Andy and Barbara Muschietti promise that the show will not shy away from the intense horror that defined their previous "It" films. "It was very clear to Andy and I that we had to start the show with something very strong," Barbara says.

However, the series also delves deeper into the lore and mythology surrounding Pennywise, exploring the town's bizarre origins and its dark history of racism. "Stephen King is a writer who is very sensitive to social injustice," says Andy Muschietti. "He speaks about the evil of a clown, but he's mainly talking about the evil things that we do to each other as human beings."

The episode's final scene delivers a harrowing twist, as the mutant baby returns to kill off half of the young ensemble that the audience had assumed would be the show's main heroes. "It's not a cliffhanger in the classic sense," Andy explains. "You're left with nothing. You're asking, 'Now what?'"

With two more seasons on the horizon, "It: Welcome to Derry" promises to deliver an unpredictable and thrilling exploration of Pennywise's sinister past in the town. As the Muschiettis warn, "Nobody is safe in Derry."