Pennywise’s Deadlights Explained: What Happened to Will & Ingrid in Welcome to Derry?

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In the seventh episode of It: Welcome to Derry, titled “The Black Spot,” viewers witness a devastating scene of heartbreak and violence as a group of vigilantes sets fire to a temporary nightclub. This event differs significantly from the way it’s portrayed in Stephen King’s 1986 novel, and the show adds greater emotional weight and a more intense level of destruction.

After this terrifying attack, Pennywise will likely go into hiding – a period the Shokopiwah tribe refers to as “the augury.” Sadly, It claims two more lives, showing Ingrid Kersh and young Will Hanlon the horrifying Deadlights.

What Are the Deadlights in the IT Universe?

In Stephen King’s novel, the terrifying Deadlights come from a different dimension known as the Macroverse. They appear as intensely bright, orange-yellow lights emanating from a powerful, ancient cosmic being. These lights aren’t just a feature of the creature—they are what the entity, most famously appearing as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, is actually made of. While no human can truly perceive its true form, a handful of people have caught glimpses of the evil energy within.

Though best known from IT, the strange energy called Deadlights appears in other works by Stephen King. You can find them in The Dark Tower series – a connection that ties all of his stories together – as well as in his novels Insomnia (1994) and Later (2021).

In the movies IT (2017) and IT: Chapter Two (2019), two members of the Losers’ Club are exposed to the terrifying Deadlights. Young Beverly Marsh sees them and falls into a trance, and later, adult Richie Tozier has the same experience. Although seeing the Deadlights is deeply disturbing, both Beverly and Richie are ultimately saved.

Both the book and the 1990 TV miniseries show Bill Denbrough’s wife, Audra, being affected by the same force that harms others. This puts her into a coma, but she eventually recovers when Bill takes her for a ride on his treasured childhood bike, nicknamed “Silver.”

Ingrid Kersh Finally Faces the Truth in Welcome to Derry Episode 7

In the sixth episode of Welcome to Derry, Ingrid Kersh reveals to Lilly that Robert ‘Bob’ Gray was her father. She fondly remembered him and had joined the circus, dreaming of becoming a clown. However, in 1935, It appeared to Ingrid disguised as her father and tricked her into helping with its sinister plans while she worked as a housekeeper at Juniper Hill.

Honestly, it’s heartbreaking to realize she was the one who tipped off the authorities about Hank Grogan, the guy accused of harming children. He was hiding at The Black Spot, and she called it in anonymously. It wasn’t about justice, though – she was desperately trying to impress her dad and reconnect with him. She genuinely believed a part of him was still trapped inside that… thing, and she thought if she could just create enough chaos and fear, she could somehow reach him and save him. It’s a really tragic motivation when you think about it.

Ingrid doesn’t react when her husband stands before her, but she becomes furious when the entity announces it will hibernate, leaving her alone once more. Free from its control, she shouts at the clown, insisting it’s not her father. Pennywise then splits its head open, exposing the terrifying Deadlights within. Ingrid’s eyes turn white and cloudy as she rises into the air.

Later, she’s shown being carried away on a stretcher in an ambulance, and she stares at the remaining children with a disturbing look. She’s likely headed to Juniper Hill, but not as an employee. Exposure to the Deadlights can break a person’s mind, causing madness and trapping them in endless fear. Some believe the Deadlights also steal a person’s soul.

Pennywise Wakes Up from Hibernation Early

Pennywise was settling in for a 27-year hibernation, but the military accidentally woke it up. They disturbed one of the thirteen pillars that were holding it trapped, and removed it from the ground.

In a previous installment, General Shaw told Leroy Hanlon the government originally intended to weaponize the entity. However, we now learn their real goal was to release it, and the pillar containing it is destroyed. This unexpected freedom prematurely awakens Pennywise from its long sleep.

Pennywise immediately confronts Will Hanlon after he wakes up, launching a frightening attack in his kitchen and exposing him to the Deadlights. While viewers know Will eventually has a son, Mike Hanlon, it’s still a mystery how this experience affects him and whether anyone comes to his rescue. We’ll find out in next week’s season finale, called “Winter Fire.”

It: Welcome to Derry airs every Sunday on HBO, leading up to the season finale on December 14.

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2025-12-08 06:08