Stephen King fans praise ‘horrifyingly gruesome’ new series - and you can stream it now
The first episode is now streaming for viewers who are brave enough
A brand new TV series inspired by one of Stephen King's most terrifying tales has made its debut - and fans of the author have been left singing its praises.
IT: Welcome to Derry's first episode has been released to UK audiences today (October 27) on Sky and NOW TV, with the subsequent episodes released every Monday.
The plot centres around the inhabitants of the fictional town of Derry which is plagued by odd goings on, multiple tragedies and unexplained disappearances as the years unfold. The events in the debut season occur 27 years before 2017's big-screen adaptation of the story, IT Chapter One.
It is inspired by King's 1986 novel IT, in particular the 'interlude' pages which explore the history of Derry and the sewer-dwelling, child-snatching clown that resides there.
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The show's co-creator Andy Muschietti teased that they are telling the story backwards with a plan for it to unfold across three seasons in total. Season 1 is set in 1962, while a Season 2 would be set in 1935 and a third in 1908.
Speaking to a crowd at New York Comic Con, he admitted the series tells "a story that is told not forward but a story that is told backward and has a final conclusion - the events in which IT becomes Pennywise."
TV lovers can now get Sky TV, Netflix and Discovery+ for £15 per month with the new Essential TV bundle.
This delivers live and on-demand TV without a satellite dish or aerial and includes hit shows like The Last of Us and Squid Game.
Viewers who have tuned in to the first episode of the new show have been left stunned by the quality of the show so far.
"The ending was horrifyingly gruesome in the best way possible lol," penned one viewer. Meanwhile a second said: "I’m still asking myself DID THAT REALLY HAPPEN?! Lov-ing it. Let’s go!"
A third added: "This first episode was super creepy, it makes me really excited for the rest of the season and series as a whole," as a fourth reviewer shared: "I'm actually impressed so far. I was expecting it to be very tame. But d***."
Another called it "traumatic" adding: "This bodes really well for the rest of the season and even the show. Wow."
One King fan added: "When I looked up the director after the trailer dropped and saw that it was Andy Muschietti, I KNEW we’d be in for a good time and wouldn’t be disappointed. But man, I was not at all expecting the first episode to go that hard which makes me so excited to see how the rest of the series is gonna go."
A further viewer penned: "Love that they subverted expectations and went big first episode. I was thinking the season would be a slow burn. Nope!"
IT: Welcome to Derry premieres on Sky and NOW TV on October 27 with episodes then released weekly every Monday