**It: Welcome to Derry EPs Andy and Barbara Muschietti, Showrunner Jason Fuchs, and Cast Push the Horror Envelope**
When Stephen King’s *It* was originally released in 1986, it quickly became one of the most controversial novels of its time. Centered around the demonic killer clown Pennywise and the youths he terrorized in Derry, Maine, the story left a lasting cultural impact. Interestingly, some of Pennywise’s most infamous scenes were never depicted on screen — neither in the 1990s ABC miniseries nor in Andy Muschietti’s theatrical films *It* (2017) and *It Chapter Two* (2019).
As the upcoming prequel series *It: Welcome to Derry* gears up for its release, creators Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and showrunner Jason Fuchs, along with some of the cast, spoke with Variety about the creative boundaries they were able to push and their surprise at HBO’s openness during production.
### Pushing the Limits of Horror with *It: Welcome to Derry*
*It: Welcome to Derry* stars Bill Skarsgård reprising his role as Pennywise and is set in 1962. While the previous films earned their R-ratings with blood and intense gore, the new series aims to raise the stakes even higher.
“I think the audience likes to be surprised, likes to be stimulated in ways that they weren’t before,” Andy Muschietti shared at the LA premiere. “We did it more intensely in every aspect.”
Barbara Muschietti added, “While we were shooting, I kept thinking, ‘I’m going to get the call.’ But we kept on presenting these scenes and episodes, and they kept on responding and loving them. We’ve been very lucky to have the support from the studio.”
### Cast Reactions to the Intensity of the Series
Taylour Paige, who portrays Charlotte Hanlon — a mother who moves to Derry with her Army husband and son — recalled Barbara Muschietti warning her about watching the series, especially since Paige had recently given birth.
“She was like, ‘You just had a baby, honey. Maybe take some time to watch it because those first few episodes,’” Paige said. “But you know what? If you’re gonna do it, do it all the way. It’s a lot. It’s crazy. And I had an unmedicated birth, so I was in it. So yeah, it hit me a little more. It was good that she warned me because I felt nauseous.”
Chris Chalk, who plays Dick Hallorann — a beloved Stephen King character best known from *The Shining* and a new addition to the HBO series — commented, “There are things that you are going to see that are appropriately disgusting.”
### Additional Insights and Release Information
For more insights from Jason Fuchs and an update on the Muschiettis’ *Batman* film, be sure to check out the full Variety article.
*It: Welcome to Derry* also stars Jovan Adepo, Blake Cameron James, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Madeleine Stowe, Rudy Mancuso, Clara Stack, Amanda Christine, and Mikkal Karim-Fidler. The series premieres on October 26th exclusively on HBO.
https://bleedingcool.com/tv/it-welcome-to-derry-cast-creators-shocked-how-by-far-they-could-go/
