The cast and creatives of It: Welcome to Derry took the time to speak with The Knockturnal during the week of New York Comic Con.
One of the discussion points was about the town of Derry itself. Everyone agreed that it is also a character within the story rather than a backdrop.
Barbara and Andy Muschietti describe Derry as representing both humanity’s capacity for cruelty and its tendency to forget and move on, no matter how dark the past may be. Derry may seem normal and even wholesome at first, but beneath that familiar surface lies something deeply twisted.
“On the surface, it looks like an ordinary American town, which is exactly what makes it so unsettling,” said Andy. “In Stephen King’s world, the line between reality and the supernatural is almost invisible, and the events in Derry often blur that boundary.”
Birg wasn’t alone in feeling the presence of Derry while filming. Taylour Paige and Jovan Adepo shared that same sense of unease, explaining that they were never truly alone on set. The town itself seemed alive, shaping the story’s mood and atmosphere. The filmmakers’ attention to production design helped bring that feeling to life, transforming real locations like Port Hope and Toronto into the haunting version of Derry seen on screen. Port Hope, in particular, became central to that illusion. Though the town was warm and welcoming, its pristine streets and picture-perfect charm created an eerie contrast. Its manicured beauty made it feel almost too flawless, adding an unsettling layer beneath the surface and capturing the sense that something was deeply off in this seemingly idyllic place.
Showrunners Jason Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane spoke about how Derry evolved into a central figure within It: Welcome to Derry. Both emphasized that the town is not just a backdrop but a character with its own personality and history, shaping the story’s sense of unease and dread.
“I feel like it’s also a character within the story,” Kane explained. “In reading It, Derry is a character, and some of the most horrifying things aren’t about the monster or the entity itself. They’re about the town. Exploring how the people there become desensitized to horrible things felt both chilling and real. It speaks to something that’s both timely and universal.”
Fuchs added that Derry’s terror isn’t confined to the supernatural. “Derry is a scary place, and it’s not only scary because there’s a creature in the sewers,” he said. “It’s also terrifying because some of the people there are capable of things just as monstrous. Some of the most chilling parts of Derry come from flesh and blood, like us. That’s what makes the story so gripping and real.”
He went on to explain that the creative team constantly draws inspiration from Stephen King’s original works. “There have been hundreds of pages written about Derry, across multiple books,” Fuchs said. “Whenever we’re in doubt, we go back to the source. We reread King’s work to ground ourselves and make sure we’re staying true to the world he created.”
You can check out the rest of the interviews with the cast of It: Welcome to Derry below.
