2025’s first Stephen King show seems to have a lot to learn from HBO’s IT: Welcome to Derry.
Okay, so I just watched the first episode of Welcome to Derry, and wow! It’s already seriously impressive – I think it’s setting a really high standard for horror shows, and even for how Stephen King stories are adapted for TV. It’s funny though, because this isn’t the only King adaptation we’ve gotten this year. Before Derry came to HBO, MGM+ actually released a series based on The Institute. It’s a good year to be a Stephen King fan!
Critics generally liked IT: Welcome to Derry, but The Institute received a more varied response. Despite this, the show did well enough to get a second season. Before it returns, though, The Institute needs to take a key lesson from the success of IT: Welcome to Derry.
It: Welcome To Derry’s Brutal Opening Reveals Why The Institute’s Adaptation Approach Was Flawed
Chris Reardon / ©MGM+ / Courtesy Everett Collection
While not a terrible Stephen King adaptation, The Institute doesn’t quite reach the level of the best ones. It simplifies many of the darker and more unsettling elements of the original novel, seemingly aiming for broader appeal by keeping the visuals and story fairly mild and predictable.
Thankfully, HBO’s IT: Welcome to Derry avoids the pitfalls of trying to appeal to a younger audience like Stranger Things. Instead, it immediately establishes a dark and terrifying atmosphere with a shockingly violent opening scene, perfectly capturing the true horror of Pennywise and the world of Derry.
Even before the first episode of Welcome to Derry is over, the show shockingly kills off many of the young characters we’ve just met, making it clear that anyone could die in this dark and dangerous world. The show could have taken the safer route, like The Institute, and stuck to typical horror tropes, but that would have risked feeling predictable and unoriginal.
As a huge horror fan, I really appreciated that Welcome to Derry didn’t play it safe. It surprised me with its willingness to be genuinely scary and, because of that, it felt like its own thing, not just another retread of Spielberg’s style. Thinking about it now, I wish The Institute had taken a similar approach – really leaned into being bold and unexpected. It would have made a world of difference.
The Institute Season 2 Can Learn A Lot From HBO’s It: Welcome To Derry
Luckily, The Institute is getting another season to show what it can do. Now, it has the opportunity to address the issues critics had with the first season and win them over.
With the second part promising even more intense action and drama, the story can look to the source material, specifically IT: Welcome to Derry, for inspiration. This would allow it to fully explore the frightening realities of being controlled, trapped, and taken advantage of.
The first season of The Institute ends at the same point as the book it’s based on. Because of this, the next season will feature a completely new story. This gives the show, inspired by the work of Stephen King, a chance to both expand on the ideas in the original book and tell a fresh, unique story, similar to how IT: Welcome to Derry approached its source material.
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2025-10-31 05:58