Scaring 5.7 million people with just one episode? Oh, 2017 Horror is so back. 

Remember him? 

  
The debut of IT: Welcome to Derry on HBO Max, just drew numerous viewers back into Pennywise's grasp. (Ah, how we've missed him!)

Welcome to Derry is set to be a prequel of the It (2017 & 2019) films that were based on Stephen King's book. The show takes place in Derry, Maine, in the early 1960s, during one of the "cycles" when Pennywise, the shape-shifting murderous clown, reappears to cause absolute chaos. 

And yes, Bill Skarsgård reprises his role as Pennywise in this prequel. 

  
The series becomes the 3rd largest series debut in HBO history. It ranks behind only the debuts of House of the Dragon boasting almost 10 million day-one viewers in 2022 and The Last of Us, which recorded 4.7 million on its opening night in 2023 and surpassed 5.7 million within three days thereafter.

With a brand new cast, and different directions in storytelling as compared to the movies, this 8-episode series has the public even more riled for Halloween. 

Stephen King, himself shared his opinion after the release of the first episode, calling it amazing and that he found the first episode terrifying. 

  
IT directors Andy and Barbara Muschietti highlighted that the premiere finishes with a startling act of violence that upends the way the two movies unfolded on design. 

"We've already made two films. We didn't want people to become very comfortable [with the story mechanics] because we're employing the same tone and style as the movies. To excite people, we truly intended to produce a subversion. In terms of intensity and spectacle, it also has to do with slightly increasing the volume."

Each episode of the series will be released weekly on Sundays, with an exception of episode 2, that will be released specifically for Halloween, on the 31st of October (today). 

Spooky times, alright!