HBO’s It: Welcome To Derry Will Be Lovecraftian In Season 2

In its opening arc, HBO's It: Welcome to Derry almost came off as a Stranger Things rip-off. It followed a familiar story structure where a child went missing and his bicycle-bearing friends roamed around town to find him. However, just when viewers assumed they knew where It: Welcome to Derry was heading, the show suddenly killed off almost all established main characters.

The more It: Welcome to Derry progressed in season 1, the more it expanded Stephen King's established lore surrounding Pennywise. It explored everything from Pennywise's origins on Earth to how humans managed to contain him in Derry. Throughout its runtime, the series also featured subtle references to other Stephen King books and stories like The Mist, The Shawshank Redemption, and Carrie.

HBO's It: Welcome to Derry had a lot to offer to Stephen King fans. However, one of its biggest and most shocking twists came towards the end. In its final episode, the show's season 1 established how Pennywise is nothing like humans and looms above them like an almost Lovecraftian omniscient presence.

Pennywise Has Always Been One Of Stephen King's Most Lovecraftian Monster

Beyond his clown-like get-up and red balloons, Pennywise is nothing but a trans-dimensional entity whose nature and psychological impact on humans perfectly align with Lovecraftian horror. Like the Great Old Ones and Outer Gods in Lovecraftian lore, Pennywise arrived on Earth far before humans and existed even before the planet.

The being exists as a nemesis to Maturin, who, according to Stephen King's lore, is a giant cosmic turtle who vomited the known universe into existence.

Like Lovecraftian gods, Pennywise is also incomprehensible in its true form. Humans are biologically not capable of understanding Pennywise in its real form, explaining why they go insane and die or end up in a trance-like state when they gaze directly into The Deadlights. Similar to H.P. Lovecraft's stories, the tales in the IT universe also emphasize humanity's rot and insignificance in the wider universe.

Like Lovecraftian beings, Pennywise almost acts as a cosmic parasite that exists in tandem with Derry. He feeds on human fear and almost treats them like livestock. Stephen King attempts to ground IT's stories in more relatable themes surrounding childhood memory, innocence, and the power of unity. Still, Pennywise seems rooted in Lovecraftian tropes because of its ancient and incomprehensible existence.

Pennywise's Existence Outside Space & Time Makes Him Even More Lovecraftian In Season 2

​​​​​​​It: Welcome to Derry season 1's ending arc revealed that Pennywise does not perceive time like humans. The past, the present, and the future are all the same for him because he exists outside the confines of space and time. Owing to this, even though the Losers' Club manages to overpower him in the movies, he continues to exist as an omnipresent being across all past timelines.

This establishes him as a higher dimension being who cannot merely be killed by humans. Since Pennywise almost seems invincible like Lovecraftian monsters, his looming terror over Derry will feel even more cosmic in It: Welcome to Derry season 2.

By harkening back to some of the darkest moments from Derry's history, including the infamous Bradley Gang massacre, It: Welcome to Derry will show how helpless humans are against Pennywise's influence. By collectively contaminating the minds of all the people in Derry, Pennywise will drive ordinary citizens to commit horrific acts.

With this, Pennywise and the new Derry-centric story will seem even more Lovecraftian in It: Welcome to Derry season 2. Hopefully, the HBO show will not shy away from embracing these cosmic horror elements while still honoring Stephen King's original story.