Double Take: IT: Welcome to Derry & Doctor Sleep

If you loved last year’s smash hit TV show and IT prequel, you’ll love this Stephen King sequel revisiting the world of The Shining.

Two beloved Stephen King creations got a second look, thanks to these horrifying spinoffs. Enjoy these modern horror classics and discover how they are surprisingly more alike than you may think...

IT: Welcome to Derry (2025)

**What’s the plot of IT: Welcome to Derry?**

From the world of Stephen King and Andy Muschietti (IT and IT: Chapter Two), this prequel series returns to Derry, Maine – an idyllic town with a long-buried evil lurking beneath its surface. In 1962, amid a spate of unexplained disappearances of local children, a group of misfit friends begin to suspect murder… while also experiencing increasingly disturbing phenomena. As the kids set out to determine what's really going on, a rising unease prompts several townspeople to work together to restore peace – all while a U.S. military operation seeks to exploit Derry for its own objectives. A terrifying, edge-of-your-seat origin story, IT: Welcome to Derry traces the reign of a multidimensional entity in its current, most horrific form: a murderous, shape-shifting clown known as Pennywise.

Watch the trailer here.

Why We Love IT: Welcome to Derry

Heeere's Penny! The beloved horror icon Pennywise is back in action and more terrifying than ever before, as Bill Skarsgård delivers another killer performance as the infamous clown. Andy Muschietti’s impressive directing skills once again perfectly balance fleshing out the main characters’ stories, whilst still producing terrifying visuals each episode.

That iconic opening credits sequence featuring the chilling 1956 tune ‘A Smile and a Ribbon’ perfectly sums up Derry’s façade of a postcard town with a sinister secret.

Kicking off with the absolutely shocking first episode (IYKYK), from start to finish Pennywise’s brutality doesn’t hold back in IT: Welcome to Derry.

Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep (2019)

What is the plot of Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep?

Stephen King's Doctor Sleep continues the story of Danny Torrance, 40 years after his terrifying stay at the Overlook Hotel in The Shining.
Still scarred by the trauma he endured as a child at the Overlook, Dan Torrance has fought to find some semblance of peace. But that peace is shattered when he encounters Abra, a courageous teenager with her own powerful extrasensory gift, known as the "shine." Recognising that Dan shares her power, Abra has sought him out, desperate for his help against the merciless Rose the Hat and her followers, The True Knot.
Forming an unlikely alliance, Dan and Abra engage in a brutal life-or-death battle with Rose. And Dan is compelled to call upon his powers as never before - facing his fears and reawakening the ghosts of the past.

Watch the trailer and 10-minute preview here.

Why We Love Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep

Heeere’s Danny! Continuing the story of The Shining, this film offers insight into Danny Torrance’s life in his adult years, dealing with the trauma from the Overlook Hotel. A much-requested story from Stephen King and horror fans alike, with a hauntingly brilliant performance from Ewan McGregor as Danny.

Rebecca Ferguson as the villain Rose the Hat is charismatic but devastatingly ruthless, as she preys on gifted children… if you ask us she belongs in the Horror Villain Hall of Fame.

A stellar cast with director Mike Flanagan at the helm (who incidentally has written DC’s upcoming Clayface), this film is a refreshing yet nostalgic story that revisits one of the greatest horror stories of all time. Doctor Sleep is a cult classic in the making.

**What is similar about IT: Welcome to Derry and Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep?**

Set in the same universe of Stephen King, both titles are closely related due to the return of one key character: Dick Halloran. Introduced as the hotel chef and overall mentor figure for Danny in The Shining, Halloran has surprisingly returned in both spinoffs. “How much trouble can a hotel be?” (Halloran in Derry) could not be more of an ironic understatement, and one that audiences of The Shining and Doctor Sleep will love.

The sinister forces at play in both titles love to traumatise children and feed on either their fear (Pennywise) or their shining abilities (The True Knot cult), making for terrifying threats that are sure to give you nightmares.

As both spinoffs, the two feature considerable time jumps with Derry set 27 years prior to the original events of IT, and Doctor Sleep set 40 years after the events of The Shining. In this way, the pair offer nostalgic yet exciting new expansions on both titles’ predecessors.

**What is different about IT: Welcome to Derry and Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep?**

Whereas IT: Welcome to Derry is a prequel to IT and IT: Chapter Two, set in 1962 following a new cast, Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep is a sequel set in the modern day and follows Danny Torrance still from The Shining. The threat is new to Danny this time, now introduced to Rose and her True Knot cult whereas Pennywise is at it again, taunting the children of Derry like you’ve never seen before.

Feeling fearless and ready to watch yet? Then prepare for the perfect spooky watch party with IT: Welcome to Derry and Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep, available to rent or buy now.