IT: Welcome to Derry (2025) — Episode 7 Review

🎥 Let’s Start by Showing Y’all the Trailers, Shall We?

—

📌 Non-Spoiler Plot Overview

Episode 7 is the moment Welcome to Derry stops teasing and fully embraces horror. The episode opens with a historical flashback revealing the inspiration for Pennywise’s clown identity, then cuts to 1962 where racial tension erupts into a violent mob attack. What starts as human cruelty quickly becomes supernatural terror when Pennywise appears in the midst of fire and chaos.

Several characters face life-and-death decisions, families are torn apart, and the military’s secret plan to harness fear reaches a breaking point. Episode 7 delivers tragedy, shock, and the most intense horror sequences of the season so far — all without losing emotional character moments.


—

👥 Character Rundown (Non-spoiler)

Leroy Hanlon — Military officer trying to protect his family from both human hatred and supernatural forces.

Charlotte Hanlon — A mother struggling to keep her son safe while the town falls apart.

Dick Hallorann — Clairvoyant character who senses what’s coming and begins to mentally unravel.

General Francis Shaw — Military leader with a chilling philosophy: fear can be controlled.

Ingrid “Periwinkle” Kersh — Once connected to the town’s circus tradition, now the most tragic figure in Episode 7.

Marge, Ronnie, and Lilly — The younger survivors whose friendship is tested by death and trauma.

Rich Santos — A genuinely heroic character whose actions carry emotional impact throughout the episode.

Pennywise / Bob Gray — The Entity behind Derry’s horrors finally reveals its face — and its origin.



—

⏱️ Pacing / Episode Flow

Episode 7 is structured in three tight, escalating acts:

1. Origin Mystery: A chilling 1900s circus flashback revealing how Pennywise chose its clown identity.


2. Human Horror: A racist mob attack on a local gathering erupts into violence, filmed with brutal realism.


3. Supernatural Terror: Pennywise arrives during peak fear, and the final sequence sets up the finale perfectly.



There are no wasted scenes and very little filler. Everything that happens pushes the story forward or devastates the characters.

This is the most focused episode of the season.


—

✔️ Pros

Powerful historical horror: The Black Spot sequence is unforgettable and disturbing.

Character depth: Major emotional arcs pay off, especially for Rich, Ingrid, and Dick.

Visual horror: Pennywise’s appearances are quick, shocking, and devastating.

Mythology payoff: We finally learn how the “clown” persona started.

Tension and build-up: Every moment feels like it’s leading to something dangerous.



—

⚠️ Cons

Supporting characters vanish: Smaller subplots (like tribal lore or fugitives) could use more screen time and clarity.

Exposition dump: The military plan is fascinating but sudden — some viewers might feel blindsided by this twist.

Relentlessly dark: Emotional heaviness with almost no relief — this episode is punishing.



—

💬 Final Thoughts (Non-spoiler)

Episode 7 is the best episode of Welcome to Derry so far. It combines Stephen King’s trademark themes — racism, trauma, historical evil, and cosmic horror — and makes them feel personal and inevitable.

The final ten minutes are pure nightmare fuel and prepare audiences beautifully for the finale.

This is what the show has been building toward: fear, sacrifice, revelation, and the knowledge that Pennywise is never just a monster — he is a cycle.


—

⭐ Rating

9.5 / 10

One of the most emotionally powerful and terrifying hours of Stephen King television ever produced.


—
💀 Spoilers Ahead — Episode 7 Breakdown

> SERIOUS SPOILERS BELOW



Pennywise’s clown persona is based on Bob Gray, a real circus performer whose daughter Ingrid idolized.

A white supremacist mob firebombs the Black Spot, killing dozens including Rich, who dies saving Marge by shielding her from smoke.

Pennywise appears mid-fire, bisects Ingrid’s husband, and uses his Deadlights on Ingrid, leaving her in a catatonic trance.

Btw her husband had it coming, he was apart of the white supremacist group, and he then threatened Ingrid to tske off the clown makeup otherwise he will beat her up, what a piece of shite, glad Pennywise came up and cut open his head.

On a side note, I find it funny that a century old demon would play along with the Bob Gray persona and humor Ingrid and oh yeah ask her for a hug, it’s truly bizarre but its like even the demon realizes how absurd this outfit looks.

Also it looks Ingrid long enough to realize this isnt her dad, no really? What gave it away? Was it the fact hes eating people in front of her? Also I really hope Bill Skarsgård wins an award for Pennywise because his acting is spectacular.

Anyways now let’s talk about the military.

The military is not trying to stop Pennywise — General Shaw reveals he wants to use fear as a tool of control.

The military melts the artifact (“pillar/shard”) that was holding Pennywise dormant.

It wakes up.

Yeah what a completely sane plan huh, cant see anything going wrong here with this plan. Yeah sure makes sense let’s unite the folks by releasing fear itself, not dumb at all.

Will Hanlon gets a phone call from Pennywise pretending to be Marge — the episode ends with the Deadlights in his eyes.

Dick Hallorann is sliding toward a breakdown, haunted by visions, nearly ending his own life.

—

🚨 Spoiler Warning 🚨

Stop here if you haven’t watched Episode 7.
Below this line, we’re diving into spoilers.


—

Things are starting to get intense, let’s see how things end in next week’s final episode. Also here’s the trailer for episode 8.

—