It: Welcome to Derry is a prequel to the It films, but in Episode 5, Neibolt Street, the show connects itself to more events and characters from Stephen King’s stories. The series has shown us strange visions, shining abilities, and Pennywise’s presence and power.The latest episode, Neibolt Street, pushes this further by creating clear ties to The Shining and Doctor Sleep. Through new revelations about Dick Hallorann’s past and his connection to psychic forces, the show highlights how these worlds intersect and influence each other in significant ways.How It: Welcome to Derry connects to The Shining and Doctor SleepA major standout in It: Welcome to Derry has been the expanded focus on Dick Hallorann. Readers and viewers first met Hallorann in Stephen King’s 1977 novel The Shining and the 1980 film adaptation, respectively. He reappeared in Doctor Sleep and was even referenced in the 1986 IT novel. Now, for the first time, It: Welcome to Derry has placed him at the center of the story. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostIn King’s IT, Mike Hanlon’s father tells him about the fire at The Black Spot and mentions Hallorann as a young Army cook. Doctor Sleep added more detail about his past, but the series goes even deeper. It: Welcome to Derry Episode 5 presents a major turning point for Hallorann that will shape the rest of his journey.In The Shining, Hallorann meets Danny Torrance and quickly realizes that the boy has shining capabilities as well. While the ghosts at the Overlook Hotel appear to Hallorann like faint images, they take full form for Danny. In Doctor Sleep, Danny remains troubled by what he survived at the Overlook. Lorraine Massey, the ghost from Room 237, is one of the spirits that follow him. Hallorann explains to Danny that he faced the same kind of haunting after his violent grandfather died. That ghost tormented him until his grandmother, who also had the shining, taught him how to defend himself.She instructed him to create a lockbox inside his mind, a place where the darkest spirits could be trapped forever. Hallorann later gives Danny a physical metal box and tells him to build his own mental version to seal away anything threatening. In It: Welcome to Derry, this lockbox becomes a major plot point. Hallorann has kept his grandfather’s ghost and other harmful spirits inside it for years. If the box were ever opened, every spirit he locked away would come rushing back. The series hints that Pennywise wants exactly that to happen. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostIt: Welcome to Derry Episode 3 showed Hallorann using a psychic object to track It, allowing him to connect directly with where Pennywise operates from. This intrusion clearly startled the creature, making Hallorann a danger to him. Episode 4 made that even clearer when Hallorann forces his way into Taniel’s mind, discovers a path to Pennywise’s lair, and joins Leroy, Pauly, and other soldiers in entering the sewer tunnels. But once Hallorann steps into shallow water, he’s pulled into a vision of his grandparents’ bathroom.There, his grandfather, who later begins morphing into Pennywise, demands he open the lockbox. His grandmother uses her shining to warn him not to give in. When he resists, Pennywise’s influence grows stronger until the box bursts open. After escaping the tunnels, Hallorann sees the box still open in his mind, realizing the danger that is coming.The show makes it clear that Pennywise, despite being ancient and incredibly powerful, still has weaknesses. Hallorann’s shining, especially his ability to break into Pennywise’s space without warning, threatens It more than most humans ever could. To protect itself and to increase Hallorann’s fear, Pennywise attacks the one thing Hallorann cannot control: the horrors inside the box. This will clearly not end well for Halloran. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostThe next episode, In the Name of the Father, will be released on HBO and HBO Max on November 30, 2025.For more articles like this, follow Soapcentral.