The new episode of ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ connects directly with ‘The Shining’ within Stephen King’s universe

It: Welcome to Derry is one of this month’s most notable releases on HBO Max, just in time to enjoy a spine-tingling Halloween thanks to the return of the terrifying clown/cosmic entity Pennywise/It. Its most recent episode reveals a deep connection to another popular Stephen King adaptation: The Shining.

Author’s note: spoilers for ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ follow.

It: Welcome to Derry reveals its direct connection to The Shining

The second episode of It: Welcome to Derry, titled “That Thing in the Shadows,” has been very revealing, establishing a strong link between the series and Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation of The Shining. It all has to do with the character Dick Hallorann, who appears in both stories. While Hallorann was already seen in the first episode of the series, it seemed like it was going to be a simple cameo that effectively established these stories as part of the same Stephen King universe, but the second episode has revealed that the connection is much more significant.

In ‘The Thing in the Dark’, it is revealed that on the outskirts of the small town of Derry there is a US Air Force base carrying out a highly secret mission called Operation Precept. The man in charge of the base and the operation, General Francis Shaw (James Remar), explains that the US military is aware that there is a supernatural entity in Derry that has the ability to instill fear even in the most seasoned soldiers.

In the context of the Cold War—the story is set in 1962—the US government does not see this being as a threat, but rather as a weapon to be used against the Soviet Union. Therefore, the real objective of Operation Precept is to capture Pennywise in the hope of using it as a weapon against the enemies of the United States. However, given that It is a supernatural being that is not governed by the laws of physics, a special way of locating it and triangulating its position is required in order to capture it. And this is where Dick Hallorann comes in.

Dick Hallorann’s true role in ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ and how it also serves as a prequel to ‘The Shining’

In ‘The Shining’, Dick Hallorann was the cook at the Overlook Hotel, and the one who informed young Danny Torrance that they both had a powerful psychic ability known as ‘the shining’, which allows, among other things, telepathic communication, premonitions, heightened sensitivity to supernatural entities, and even the ability to perceive and communicate with the spirits of the dead. And it is precisely this last ability that is crucial for Operation Precept to work.

General Shaw has meticulously studied Derry’s violent history and correctly deduced that every twenty-seven years, there is a series of violent murders attributed to a supernatural entity. Since Hallorann can track the locations where these macabre events have occurred, his role is that of a kind of supernatural compass, whose ultimate goal is to triangulate the position of Pennywise’s lair.

This clever approach has established an unprecedented connection between the adaptations of It and The Shining—including its sequel, Doctor Sleep. In this way, Welcome to Derry is not only a prequel to It, but also to The Shining, and the horrific events that took place in the small fictional town in Maine will serve to toughen Hallorann in the paranormal world. This, in turn, will be key to Dan Torrance’s triumph over evil as an adult.

Of course, since this is a prequel, we know in advance that Operation Precept will fail. But this is precisely where one of its great and unexpected attractions lies: discovering the magnitude of the US government’s fiasco in controlling fear incarnate itself, and how that disaster will allow evil to continue feeding in Derry for another two and a half decades.

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