'Truly creepy' Stephen King novel that inspired Welcome to Derry

Stephen King, the globally-renowned horror author with a portfolio of over 60 books, 200 short stories and numerous film and TV adaptations, is set to give fans another dose of terror.

A new horror series based on one of his most spine-chilling tales is due for release tomorrow (October 27), delving deeper into a character that has been haunting dreams since the eighties.

IT: Welcome to Derry, the latest addition to the IT franchise, has been adapted for television by sibling duo Andy and Barbara Muschietti, in collaboration with Jason Fuchs.

The trio previously worked together on 2019's IT Chapter Two, with Andy and Barbara also involved in its 2017 predecessor, IT Chapter One.

The upcoming series is set prior to the events of the first film, offering more insight into the backstory of the child-snatching Pennywise the Clown. But which King novel serves as the inspiration for this series?

King's 1986 novel IT is the source of inspiration for the new TV series. Readers have called it "truly creepy" and many cite it as one of their favourite stories from the author.

Rather than following the main narrative however, the series draws from the book's five interlude sections. Narrated through the perspective of the character Mike Hanlon, these sections delve into the history of Derry and Pennywise, separate from the main storyline, and discuss catastrophic events that occurred in the town, reports the Daily Record.

"The interludes are basically chapters that reflect Mike Hanlon's research. They're fragments of his research. For 27 years, it's the guy trying to figure out what it is, what did it, who did it, who saw it, and all that stuff," filmmaker Andy Muschietti shared in an interview with Radio Tu, translated by Bloody Disgusting.

Love all things horror? Sign up for our free weekly film and TV newsletter Scream Society

"So they talk about catastrophic events from the past, like the fire in the Black Spot.... the massacre of the Bradley Gang, a gang of bank robbers in the '30s... and the explosion of the Kitchener Ironworks."

He continued: "Every time [Pennywise] comes out of hibernation, there is a catastrophic event that happens at the beginning of that cycle."

The opening series takes place in 1962 prior to the events of the debut movie, with Andy hinting that a follow-up series would travel back another 27 years to 1935 and a third instalment to 1908.

IT: Welcome to Derry is available for UK audiences to watch on Sky and NOW TV from October 27