Horrors of 'It' hit close to home

Creators of the HBO prequel series add bigotry and injustice to the monstrous mix.

- BY GREG BRAXTON

BROOKE PALMER HBO

JACK MOLLOY Legault and Matilda Legault are part of a group of children who confront a demonic force in their small town in new series "It: Welcome to Derry."

A mutant killer baby. Lampshades and pickle jars that come alive. Sinister sewers. A demonic clown that preys on children.

HBO Max's “It: Welcome to Derry,” the latest adaptation of Stephen King’s epic 1986 novel about a deadly clown named Pennywise, has already scared up a lot of buzz since its Sunday premiere with its mix of evil events and nightmarish images.

The first episode featuring Robert Preston warning

“Ya Got Trouble” via the classic musical “The Music Man” is an ominous introduction to the subsequent terrors. Gruesome sequences revolving around birth in the first two episodes will likely make several viewers cover their eyes. (The second episode drops Friday on HBO Max in time for Halloween, and it will air in its usual 9 p.m. Sunday slot on HBO.)

A prequel to 2017's “It” and 2019’s “It: Chapter Two” — both directed by Andy Muschietti— the new drama is set in 1962 in the fictional small town of Derry, Maine. Bill Skarsgård, who played Pennywise in the films, will reprise his role during the season.

The large ensemble of child actors and adults features several Black characters, including Air Force Maj. Leroy Hanlon (Jovan Adepo); his wife, Charlotte (Taylour Paige), a civil rights activist in a Jackie Kennedy pillbox hat; and son Will (Blake Cameron James). Also featured is Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), the town’s theater projectionist, and his teen daughter Ronnie (Amanda Christine).