The New IT Prequel Keeps Struggling to Live Up to Its Fearsome Potential
HBO's latest IT prequel, Welcome To Derry, has proven to be a wildly inconsistent and frustrating viewing experience. At its best, the show delivers chilling scares and compelling character drama, but unfortunately, it consistently falters when it comes to effectively conveying the terror that it so desperately wants to unleash upon its audience.
A prime example of this struggle can be seen in one pivotal scene from Episode 3 where a group of kids attempt to photograph the monster at a local cemetery. However, instead of building up suspense and anticipation, the scene descends into campy, B-movie territory with hilariously over-the-top special effects that render any sense of fear or tension completely useless.
This lack of restraint is not limited to the supernatural elements of the show; it also affects its approach to character development. By relying too heavily on exposition and dialogue, the writers fail to trust their audience to fill in the blanks, resulting in a sense of storytelling that feels heavy-handed and uninspired.
On the other hand, some scenes, such as the harrowing portrayal of Ronnie's dead mother trying to reel her back into her womb or Lily's psychedelic supermarket vision, showcase the show's ability to create genuinely unsettling moments. However, even these successes are undermined by a complete lack of subtlety, as evidenced by the awkward inclusion of a goofy head in a pickle jar.
Ultimately, Welcome To Derry has a lot of potential that is squandered due to its inability to balance tension and suspense with restraint and subtlety. By relying too heavily on CGI and over-the-top set pieces, the show fails to create a sense of genuine fear or unease, leaving viewers feeling frustrated and underwhelmed.
Despite this, fans of the IT franchise will likely find themselves still enjoying Welcome To Derry for its moments of brilliance, even if they don't quite live up to their full potential.
HBO's latest IT prequel, Welcome To Derry, has proven to be a wildly inconsistent and frustrating viewing experience. At its best, the show delivers chilling scares and compelling character drama, but unfortunately, it consistently falters when it comes to effectively conveying the terror that it so desperately wants to unleash upon its audience.
A prime example of this struggle can be seen in one pivotal scene from Episode 3 where a group of kids attempt to photograph the monster at a local cemetery. However, instead of building up suspense and anticipation, the scene descends into campy, B-movie territory with hilariously over-the-top special effects that render any sense of fear or tension completely useless.
This lack of restraint is not limited to the supernatural elements of the show; it also affects its approach to character development. By relying too heavily on exposition and dialogue, the writers fail to trust their audience to fill in the blanks, resulting in a sense of storytelling that feels heavy-handed and uninspired.
On the other hand, some scenes, such as the harrowing portrayal of Ronnie's dead mother trying to reel her back into her womb or Lily's psychedelic supermarket vision, showcase the show's ability to create genuinely unsettling moments. However, even these successes are undermined by a complete lack of subtlety, as evidenced by the awkward inclusion of a goofy head in a pickle jar.
Ultimately, Welcome To Derry has a lot of potential that is squandered due to its inability to balance tension and suspense with restraint and subtlety. By relying too heavily on CGI and over-the-top set pieces, the show fails to create a sense of genuine fear or unease, leaving viewers feeling frustrated and underwhelmed.
Despite this, fans of the IT franchise will likely find themselves still enjoying Welcome To Derry for its moments of brilliance, even if they don't quite live up to their full potential.
. I mean, it's like they're trying too hard to be scary and instead end up being more cringeworthy than creepy. The whole thing feels like a bunch of cheap jump scares strung together with some half-baked storytelling attempts.
. And don't even get me started on the overuse of CGI - it's like they're trying to create a whole different show within a show, one that's all about flashy visuals instead of actual tension.
. It's got some great characters and some creepy atmosphere - but the writers just can't seem to balance it out with subtlety or restraint. And that's what ultimately leaves you feeling like you're wasting your time 
. Still, if you're an IT fan, I guess there'll be enough moments that'll stick with you...
and don't even get me started on the dialogue it feels like they're trying too hard to info dump everything at once ugh poor ronnie's dead mom scene was actually kinda creepy tho 
but yeah overall welcome to derry is just a mess i'm still waiting for it to find its tone lol
and it still sends chills down my spine. This prequel has a lot of the same feels, but it's like it's not even trying to tap into that same eerie atmosphere from the original film. I get why they're trying to use CGI for those supernatural scenes, but honestly, it just comes across as lazy and over-the-top 
. And what's up with all these heavy-handed moments where you can see the writers throwing a bunch of stuff at the wall to see if anything sticks? Remember when Pennywise in Chapter 2 was so suspenseful because we didn't know how he'd show up next? That tension is just not here, and it makes the whole thing feel like a watered-down mess 
. Still, I'll give 'em props for trying, even if they don't quite hit the mark 
.
then poured it all over the screen without letting any part dry 
the show has some great moments but they get ruined by overdoing everything 
and sometimes it feels like they're trying way too hard to be scary 
still, I guess fans of IT will enjoy it for its good parts 
the scene at the cemetery was literally cringeworthy but at the same time the part with ronnie's dead mom was super creepy 
but then they go and ruin it by being too on the nose about the whole thing what happened was it just an uneven show or am i being too harsh? 
. They gotta do better than that spooky cemetery scene tho 
. It was like something outta a bad campy horror flick 
. The supernatural scenes are def creepy but then there's these moments where it's like "wait what?!" 
. The characters are still relatable though so maybe the show just needs to find a better balance between spooky and subtle? 
. I guess fans of IT will still be stoked for it, but for the rest of us, it's a solid middle-of-the-road effort at best 