Welcome to Derry: How This Town Became an Iconic Part of Stephen King’s Work

by

Stephen King consistently portrays Maine as a place filled with incredibly dangerous and often supernatural threats. While danger lurks throughout the state, certain locations stand out, and Derry is arguably the most prominent. Derry holds a particularly iconic place in Stephen King’s stories, and is the setting for the new HBO Max series, *IT: Welcome to Derry*.

Stephen King’s books are much more closely linked than many people realize, especially those who only know his work through film and television. After writing for decades, it’s remarkable how he’s built a vast, interconnected universe – comparable to Marvel or DC in its depth and lore. This universe includes repeating characters and familiar locations like Castle Rock, Jerusalem’s Lot, and Derry. Of these three key settings, Derry was the last to be fully explored, but King had been developing the idea for years.

When Was the First Mention of Derry in Stephen King’s Written Work?

Derry, the town featured in Stephen King’s novel *It*, first appeared in his 1981 short story, “The Bird and the Album.” It gradually became a recurring location in his fictional Maine, with mentions appearing more and more often. A particularly interesting reference came in 1982, in *The Running Man*, which was set in the future year of 2025. Notably, *The Running Man* was published under King’s pen name, Richard Bachman, when he was trying to hide his authorship. Looking back, including Derry in both stories feels like a playful challenge to see if readers would connect the dots. (And by 1985, they did!)

References to Derry also appeared in some of Stephen King’s other popular stories, like “The Body” (which inspired the movie *Stand By Me*) and *Pet Sematary*, early in the 1980s. However, in 1986, King finally set a full novel in Derry, and the result was a compelling horror story that truly showcased the depth of darkness within the town.

Derry Takes Center Stage in IT Novel with Pennywise the Clown

At over 1100 pages, *IT* wasn’t just set in Derry, Maine – the town’s dark history is central to the story. The book explores how an ancient, evil entity has corrupted Derry for centuries. Much of the narrative follows the “Loser’s Club” as they investigate the town’s past, uncovering a pattern of disappearances, murders, and tragedies that resurface every 27 years. They eventually discover that all these horrors stem from a single source of evil, known as IT, which often manifests as the terrifying Pennywise the Clown, but can take many forms.

Stephen King is known for researching the history of his story settings, but *IT* stands out as his most comprehensively developed town within a single novel. As the story unfolds, we learn about key locations and significant, often tragic, events from decades past – including the Kitchener Ironworks explosion and the fire at the Black Spot, as well as landmarks like the Well House on Neibolt Street and the Paul Bunyon statue, among many other details.

What makes King’s work unique is its central idea: a single, underlying cause for the repeated tragedies that have plagued Derry across generations. While places like Jerusalem’s Lot have a dark past, *IT* argues that almost everything significant about Derry’s history is directly connected to the presence of IT itself.

Just a heads-up: this reveals the ending of *IT*. The story ultimately shows the grown-up Losers’ Club finally defeating IT, which saves the town of Derry. That might explain why Stephen King hasn’t featured Derry as often as places like Castle Rock – things should be peaceful there now, shouldn’t they?

As a horror story, a key question throughout the book is whether ‘IT’ is actually a living being. Stephen King has playfully hinted at this in a couple of his later books that revisit the town of Derry, though only briefly.

Crossovers Into Derry From Other Characters in the Stephen King Universe

In Stephen King’s 1987 novel *The Tommyknockers*, a character driving through town experiences a hallucination – he imagines seeing a clown’s face peering up from a sewer drain. This raises an interesting question: why would Pennywise, the creature from *IT*, appear to someone even after being defeated in Derry? It’s a curious detail beyond just being a playful reference.

In the 2001 film *Dreamcatcher*, which takes place near the town of Derry, the villain Mr. Gray discovers a plaque created by the Loser’s Club. The plaque honors those who died in a large storm that happened in 1985 – an event shown at the end of *IT* during the final fight with the creature. However, someone has now written “Pennywise Lives” on the plaque, suggesting that the clown is still remembered – and feared – by some residents.

Derry, the town featured in *It*, continues to reappear in Stephen King’s work. For example, the main character in *Bag of Bones* lives there, although much of that story takes place elsewhere. King also includes a compelling section in *11/22/63* where the protagonist, Jake Epping, travels back to Derry in 1958. After the Losers Club temporarily defeats IT as children, Jake encounters two of them, Beverly and Richie, and senses the town’s pervasive evil.

Despite numerous stories set in the world of IT, the 1994 novel *Insomnia* offers a uniquely detailed look at Derry after the events of the first book. It centers on Ralph Roberts, a man struggling with severe insomnia that causes him to see auras. The story frequently references the devastating storm of 1985 and its impact on the town, and features a return appearance by Mike Hanlon, the only member of the Losers’ Club who remained in Derry.

While Pennywise doesn’t appear in this story, it’s important to remember the villain, the Crimson King, is connected to Stephen King’s larger *Dark Tower* series. This series ultimately ties together almost all of King’s work, including *IT*. In *Insomnia*, the Crimson King even hints at this connection, telling Ralph that changing forms is common in Derry – a clear nod to Pennywise. Essentially, the story acknowledges that powerful evil entities recognize each other.

Derry Takes on TV in 2025 in IT: Welcome to Derry

As a fan of the recent *IT* movies, I’m intrigued by *IT: Welcome to Derry*. This new series isn’t a reboot, but a prequel that fits *within* the timeline established by those films – remember how they changed the years a bit from the book? Well, this series takes place in 1962, showing us the events *before* the Losers Club first faced IT in 1989. It’s diving deep into the history of Derry that Stephen King hinted at in the novel, though it’s playing with the dates a little to create its own narrative.

The Black Spot fire is a major event that producers Andy and Barbara Muschietti have hinted will soon happen in the show. Other key events from the original story, such as the Bradley Gang massacre and the Ironworks explosion, are planned for future seasons. Each season will jump back in time another 27 years.

Many prequels struggle to find a strong story, but *Welcome to Derry* has a solid foundation. Stephen King has already hinted at a rich history for the town, detailing important events spanning centuries. This gives the show a great opportunity to expand on those events, explore how IT flourished, and show the impact on the people of Derry.

One thing is for sure though. If you’re in Derry and you see a clown, run like hell. 

IT: Welcome to Derry premieres October 26, 2025 on HBO Max.

Read More

2025-10-17 20:04