IT – Welcome To Derry Review - Episode 3 Jio Hotstar | The Thing in the Dark

Web Series  - IT – Welcome To Derry

Cast – Taylor Paige, Joven Adepo, James Remar, Stephen Rider. Martilda Lawler and Others

Director – Andy Muschietti.

Episode – Episode 3 

Where To Watch – Jio Hotstar

The Episode  3 provides where the element of Supernatural is used as hidden backround and more a front and centre force. Hallorans vision sequence is a standout moment in the episode the design of clawn vegon, flaoting victims, deadlights of the machanical face of Pennywise all these elements takes horror a level up and continues to carry the thrill of first two episodes. 

The kids arc is more grounded their fear and authanticity adds a layer of realism in the episode. When will take photo of that clawn figures in a cript, It works because of the payoff the childhood dread thread in the series has been weaving. The show smartly keeps pennywise's full reveal  is minimal yet impectful. The entry of the clown gave an experience of terror as a viewer. 

On the other side.  The dynamics between Leroy Hanlon, General Shaw, Dick Hallorann, and the mysterious adds a political layer in the episode. The idea of  weaponizing U,S Millitery adds a scope of broader narrative for the screenplay.

However, The episode does show its ambious scope as both streanght and weekness. The mutiple subplots like millitery, town, kids, town, politics takes interest level of the episode a one level up. but at the same time audiance might like an artist along in some the way the child looks like a modern way rather than 1962 was quite unacceptable to digest . Like the previous episode CGI is of top notch in this episode but the highlight moment of the episode as the image confirms pennywise presence for the kids shifts the tone of episode cretes a doubt in viewers mind "There is something" phrase into Yes and its coming for you, creates an excitement for upcoming episodes. 

In Conclusion. Episode 3 is not perfect but at the same time it highlights elements like horror and myth making is enough engaging to hype up for rest of the episodes. 

Some Unknown Aspects IT Franchise  

The IT franchise is one of the most fascinating creations in horror history, filled with deeper meaning and eerie connections across Stephen King’s universe. Pennywise, the dancing clown, is not actually a clown at all but a physical form of an ancient cosmic entity known simply as “It.” Its true form exists in another dimension called the Macroverse, where it appears as the Deadlights—blinding beams of pure madness that can destroy a person’s sanity in seconds.

In King’s mythology, this creature has an opposite force — Maturin the Turtle, a wise, cosmic being who represents creation and balance against It’s destruction. The turtle even subtly guides the Losers’ Club during their battle, reminding them that courage and unity can overcome fear.

The town of Derry, Maine, is another major character in itself. More than a backdrop, Derry is a living, breathing organism that enables evil to thrive. It’s as if the entire town conspires to hide the truth — adults look away, authorities ignore crimes, and history quietly erases itself. King uses Derry as a mirror to society’s collective denial and silence in the face of horror.

The Losers’ Club, the group of kids who fight Pennywise, represent innocence, friendship, and bravery. Their connection weakens the creature, showing that shared strength can overcome even ancient evil. King once said IT is really a story about remembering courage — how childhood imagination can conquer fear when logic fails.

Both portrayals of Pennywise — Tim Curry in the 1990 TV miniseries and Bill Skarsgård in the modern films — have become iconic in their own right. Curry’s version leaned into dark comedy and charm, while Skarsgård’s performance is more primal and unpredictable, giving the clown a sinister alien quality. Each reflects the fear of its generation: Curry’s Pennywise embodied the fear of strangers; Skarsgård’s represented our inner psychological terrors.

Stephen King’s IT is also part of a vast interconnected world. Stories like The Dark Tower, Insomnia, and Dreamcatcher reference Derry and the cosmic struggle between good and evil. Fans call it the King Multiverse, a sprawling web where events and characters cross paths in unexpected ways.

Interestingly, King drew inspiration for IT from real events — reports of missing children in Maine and his own childhood fear of the Bangor sewer system. The mix of real-world dread and fairy-tale horror gave birth to one of fiction’s most haunting monsters.

There’s also the spooky coincidence that Pennywise’s feeding cycle — every 27 years — mirrors the gap between the two major adaptations: the 1990 miniseries and the 2017 film were released exactly 27 years apart. King himself joked that even the release schedule was under Pennywise’s control.

At over 1,100 pages, IT remains one of Stephen King’s longest and most ambitious novels. It took him years to write and is filled with layered symbolism — fear, memory, friendship, and the loss of innocence.

Now, with the prequel series IT – Welcome To Derry streaming on Jio Hotstar, the franchise dives deeper into the origins of the evil that cursed Derry. The show explores how fear itself became a weapon and how the town’s dark history began long before the Losers’ Club was even born. It’s the perfect expansion of King’s chilling universe — a story where the real monster isn’t just Pennywise, but the fear that lives inside everyone

The Series has 6 Episodes with a new episode streaming on Every Monday