Creators explain why Pennywise is even more brutal in 'IT: Welcome to Derry'

Pennywise has been ingrained in our brains as a terrifying clown since the beginning of the HBO’s It franchise, but things are about to change. 

The new series of the franchise, IT: Welcome to Derry, allows horrorphiles to meet a whole different version of the bloodthirsty killer clown. 

Co-creator Andy Muschietti explained why brutality levels have been turned up in the latest series, “I really wanted to raise the volume,” he said. “To do something slightly different from what I did in the movies.”

Muschietti, commenting on the changes in the new series, insists that even though the style and tone remain the same, the show is prepared to break all previous records of the ‘intensity’ previously depicted.

“Even though the style and tone are the same as the films, the intensity is a little higher,” he said. “It’s meant to give the audience a more heightened experience.”

Welcome to Derry acts as a prequel, taking us back to the history of Pennywise long before the chaos of the movies breaks in. 

It seems like this twist has been working in favour of the creators of the show, already getting the label of another hit from the fans. In its first three days, the show managed to pull in over 5.5 million viewers, making it the third biggest debut on HBO Max.

Episode four of IT: Welcome to Derry is set to release on November 16.