It: Welcome to Derry creators talk about adapting the most heartbreaking Stephen King story in the latest episode 

It: Welcome to Derry takes viewers back to the world of the 1960s, long before the events of Stephen King’s It. In its latest episode, the show establishes crucial context for the evil that threatened many for generations.

Episode 7 of It: Welcome to Derry steers the story straight into Black Spot fire incident, which marks one of the darkest and most tragic incidents mentioned in King’s original novel. The creators recently opened up to TV Insider about what it was like to visualise the sad chapter on screen.

Andy Muschietti told TV Insider:

"This story has a conclusive moment, even though that there’s a third act, as you will, of things happening after the Black Spot, but it is one of the big catastrophic events around which the story is built."

It: Welcome to Derry makers talk about the heartbreaking Stephen King's story

In the book, the fire appears only as a memory, but the series visualises the incident full scale. It takes viewers straight into the unfolding of the incident, showing how the attack unfolded and what all led to the legacy of hatred. The ending concludes the fate of Rich, a kind and hopeful character who dies cruelly. His final moments and the chaos around him make the episode the show’s most devastating chapter.

The creators of It: Welcome to Derry have said that this episode is an anchoring moment in It: Welcome to Derry. They chose to dwell amply on the Black Spot incident so that the story could have a defining emotional and moral foundation:

"It was sort of like a finish line for us, and so basically everything that you see, that builds to this. It’s a buildup towards the Black Spot. All the stories converge there. And that’s why it was very important."

In the novel, the event is important but brief. In the show, it becomes the moment that reveals how cruelty, racism, and hatred shape the town’s history. By building the entire episode around the event, the creators give weight to the victims and give space to the characters who were lost.

The formidable force of the show, Pennywise, fed on this tragedy. Taking the form of a large bird, the clown got what he needed from the fire incident. Additionally, the hatred that triggered made a symbolic suggestion: In an atmosphere filled with negativity, nefarious forces become even powerful.

Episode 7 of It: Welcome to Derry depicts how the town’s violence, prejudice, and fear ultimately form the evil that eventually becomes Pennywise.

What is the Black Spot?

The Black Spot in the series is a nightclub built and run by Black servicemen. The place provides a place of safety and relaxation to many who are not welcome in other parts of Derry. But that safety is shattered when a racist mob attacks. The mob locks the doors and sets the building on fire, leading to brutal consequences for those inside.

Panic spreads inside as smoke fills the room and the flames spread across the walls and ceiling. The creator spoke on why this portrayal was important. Andy Muschietti expresses how the tragic event was and why doing justice to it was very important:

"And also because we have to make justice to the impact of the Black Spot in the book. Such a tragic event. Such an atrocity committed, not by It, but by the people of Derry. And it’s another layer, another bit of information that tells us basically one of the big truths of the book, which is: Humans are capable of doing things as bad or worse than this monster."

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It: Welcome to Derry concludes its Season 1 on December 16, 2025. You can watch it on HBO Max.

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