'Derry' to become household name for horror fans after featuring in new Stephen King film

by Cathal McGuigan

Derry is being spoken about by fearful horror fans across the world this week, after the first full trailer of the upcoming IT film was released.

The film follows a group of seven children who try to combat IT, a creature in the form of a clown called Pennywise, that preys on children.

The film is the first of two that will be the latest adaptation of Stephen King’s 1986 novel of the same name, following a 1990 TV miniseries starring Tim Curry and John Ritter.

The story is set in the fictional town of Derry, Maine, which has been used as a setting for several of King’s novels including Bag of Bones and 11/23/66.

The new trailer for the film, released in cinemas on September 8, shows a character flipping through old copies of the ‘Derry Herald’ newspaper, as well as glimpses of Bill Skarsgård as the terrifying Pennywise.

Production of the film attracted some controversy last year, as there were reports of ‘killer clowns’ across the world, believed to have been inspired by the Pennywise character.

The Co Derry Post reported that the PSNI received more than 60 complaints about people dressed as killer clowns across the north in the build-up to Halloween, including 11 from Co Derry.

In October, police were called to Coleraine Grammar School and the gates were locked after rumours circulated on social media that people dressed in clown costumes would be coming to the school.

The Anchor Bar Complex in Portstewart warned customers that anyone wearing a killer clown costume would be refused entry to any Halloween events.

The Co Derry town of Castlerock also shares its name with the setting of several of Stephen King’s most famous stories, including Cujo, The Dead Zone and King’s short story The Body, which was adapted into the 1986 film Stand By Me.

American video streaming service Hulu announced in February that they are to create an anthology horror show called Castle Rock. It will be based on a number of King’s short stories and will feature Sissey Spacek, who portrayed one of King’s most famous characters in the 1976 film Carrie.