IT: Welcome To Derry

What’s it about?

In 1962, a couple move with their son to the small town of Derry, where children are disappearing and very bad things are starting to happen.

The facts

• Created by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs
• Starring Bill Skarsgård, Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Madeleine Stowe, and Rudy Mancuso.
• English language
• 55min per episode, on average

Why did it get this rating?

This series was self-rated by Neon. You can find out more about self-rating by streaming providers here.

Graphic violence

The series contains graphic violence and gory content, with blood, severed bodies, stabbings, and other violent incidents, and is meant to be quite frightening.

Some of the strongest moments of violence include:

• A character saws off her eyes with a blade after they turn into snail eyes, and blood gushes from the wounds.
• The intro to the show depicts an evil clown committing a mass killing using a gun.
• Towards the end of the first episode, a demon baby kills numerous kids in graphic and bloody ways. A child is ripped in half, and another has their arm torn off. Later in the episode another character is shown holding the arm.
• A boy has his head ripped off, but this happens out of shot.

Horror

The central threat is Pennywise, a supernatural being that appears as a clown but also transforms into whatever scares the characters most. These sudden transformations, disturbing visuals, and gory violence are a core horror element.

Like the films, the show includes sudden frights, loud stings, and unsettling imagery designed to shock viewers.

Content that may disturb

Some of the supernatural scenes may be quite uncomfortable or disturbing for viewers. Strongest scenes include:

• A woman gives birth to a demon baby, which is shown coming out in a bloody sac. It flies around a car whilst still attached to the umbilical cord.
• A lampshade made of human skin is shown coming to life.
• One character describes the horrors of the Holocaust and a concentration camp, which may be hard for some viewers to hear.

Sexual references

A woman says to her daughter, “you couldn’t glue those legs together if you tried,” and calls her a “harlot.”

Two boys spy on a character undressing through a window. One of them says to the other, “Miss Johanssen is about to take her bra off,” commenting on her breasts and encouraging the other boy to watch, but she does not take it off.

Offensive language

This show contains the use of offensive language, with words like “f**k,” “a**s,” and the slur “cracker” used to describe white Americans.

When content stays with you:

We all have our boundaries, and it’s completely okay if something you’ve watched is weighing on your mind. If certain content lingers with you, consider having a chat with friends or whānau to debrief about what you’ve just seen. But if you’re still feeling affected, please reach out to any of the following helplines for support.  

• 1737
• Safe to talk
• Lifeline
• Youthline

Further information

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?
• Brain development – how it works, why it matters