‘IT: Welcome to Derry’ Episode 2 to Premiere Early on Halloween Morning

HBO just pulled a Halloween trick (or treat?) straight out of Derry’s storm drains. During the premiere of IT: Welcome to Derry last night, the network revealed that the show’s second episode — originally set to air this Sunday — will now arrive two days early.

That’s right: Episode 2 will be available for streaming on HBO Max this Friday, October 31, at 12:00 a.m. PT / 3:00 a.m. ET, just in time to start your Halloween morning with a scream. The episode will still air on HBO proper on Sunday, November 2, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Think of it as a bloody good holiday gift from Pennywise the Dancing Clown himself — played once again by Bill Skarsgård, who’s ready to make sure no Halloween goes by without a few nightmares.

HBO also dropped a new “weeks ahead” trailer teasing what’s still to come in Welcome to Derry, and it looks like the horrors of Maine’s most cursed town are only just beginning.

Set in 1962, the series expands the world of Andy Muschietti’s IT films, diving into the sinister history of Derry long before the Losers’ Club ever faced their fears. Muschietti directs multiple episodes, and the show draws from Mike Hanlon’s interludes in Stephen King’s original 1986 novel — chronicling generations of unspeakable terror and “catastrophic events” that have plagued the town for centuries.

The season finale of Welcome to Derry will air on Sunday, December 14, but if this early drop is any sign, don’t be shocked if Pennywise has more surprises lurking in the dark before then.