A Story of Derry
NZ release: 31 October 2026
Horror and bloody violence Rated on: 02 November 2026
IT: Welcome to Derry. A story of Derry
What’s it about?
Three young people go into the Western Wood and encounter a terrifying ancient spirit, the Kollu.
The facts
- Directed by Tazbah Chavez (Phony)
- English language
- Runtime: 30 minutes
- A surprise Halloween special in the series, IT: Welcome to Derry, set hundreds of years before Pennywise.
Why did it get this rating?
This episode special was self-rated by HBO Max. You can find out more about self-rating by streaming providers here.
Horror
The special contains sustained supernatural horror, with frightening creature appearances, threatening encounters and sudden attacks. Children are stalked by zombie-like creatures and an evil stag. A man with glowing eyes contorts his body, emits black smoke and transforms into a monstrous figure with fangs. A scary looking baby emerges from his body and stabs a woman, who later dies from her injuries. There is also imagery of glowing black smoke, black blood and unnatural bodily movements.
Children consume an unidentified herbal substance to enter a hallucinogenic state and communicate with a god-like being known as Maturin, before undertaking a ritual to contain the creature and prevent it from leaving Derry.
Bloody violence
There are bloody and gory scenes of supernatural violence, including children being attacked by monstrous creatures. A man who worships the creature is shown feeding human remains to it. Arrows are fired into a creature's body, including his head and neck, but he effortlessly pulls them out. There are images of dead bodies hanging from trees and bloody corpses.
When content stays with you:
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