HBO's It: Welcome to Derry knows no bounds when it comes to horror. Concluding in a gloriously gory fashion, Pennywise, free from the shackles of the 13 pillars, embarked on his most terrifying rampage yet, proving once again that in the town of Derry, no one is ever truly safe.
With Derry plunged into the darkness of an oppressive fog, courtesy of a newly-liberated Pennywise, and Will Hanlon taken hostage by the killer clown, it was up to Margie, Lily Bainbridge and Ronnie Grogan to save their friend.
Proving relentless, It: Welcome to Derry went full throttle in its final act, with key players killed off and the lore of Stephen King's universe taking an unexpected shape.
Here, we break down the chaos and carnage of episode 8 – keep reading to find out who died, and who survived the wrath of Pennywise…
Why did Pennywise kidnap the children of Derry High School?
Pennywise, who feeds on the fear of children, headed to Derry High School, where he lured all the kids into the auditorium, and after performing a menacing routine with the body of Principal Dunleavy, unleashed his psychic powers, hypnotising each and every child, so he could transport them to the outskirts of Derry, where the town's river had frozen over.
Realising that he was no longer trapped, Pennywise intended to spread as much fear as possible across the rest of America, while taking as many children as possible from Derry.
What was the dagger doing to Lily?
Armed with the dagger, the girls followed a bloody trail left behind at the high school, driving the murdered milkman's truck into the woods. What they didn't realise, however, was that the dagger, which wanted to return to the crash site, was fighting back and had been slowly driving Lily insane the further it got from Derry.
When the dagger began to glow in Margie's hands moments later, the girls realised that Pennywise was close, and walked to the edge of the river where they saw the missing children levitating above the ice.
How did the adults track down the girls and find Pennywise?
As Leroy and Hallorann reunited with Charlotte, Hank, Rose and her nephew, Taniel, to explain what happened, the adults came up with a plan. Rose, whose Native American ancestors had caged Pennywise, revealed that Hallorann could use his psychic abilities to track the dagger, which could be used as the 13th pillar and relock Pennywise's cage.
Rose promises to quiet the voices in Hallorann's head by giving him a special tea, which connects him to all things related to Pennywise's realm. She reminds him that not everything there is evil, and insists that by opening his mind to this realm, he'll be able to close the door on others.
After drinking it, Hallorann connects with the dagger, and sees Lily, Margie and Ronnie in the woods. The group jumps in Taniel's van, as Hallorann continues to track Lily, Margie and Ronnie.
What was Margie's link to Richie Tozier and The Losers' Club?
View Green Video on the source websitePreparing to kill her, Pennywise referred to a confused Margie as 'Margaret Tozier' and told her that one day she'll get married and be known as Margie Tozier, before welcoming a son who she'll name Richie Tozier.
Hallorann, who was still tracking the girls, managed to stop the clown before he could kill Margie, using his psychic abilities to tap into Pennywise's mind and freeze him.
With Pennywise unable to move, the stolen children dropped to the ice and awakened from their trance, just as Taniel, Hanlon, Charlotte, Rose, Hank and Hallorann finally arrived at the frozen lake. The adults redirected the high school kids back to the north shore.
Did the group defeat Pennywise?
While Will, Lily, Ronnie and Margie rushed to the deadwood, Shaw ordered his men to extract Hallorann, before he walked over to a frozen Pennywise himself. When Hallorann was pulled from the van, however, and his psychic connection to Pennywise was broken, the killer clown unfroze and after recognising Shaw as the boy from 1908, took great pleasure in killing him.
With Lily, Ronnie, Will and Margie at the tree, the dagger fought back, preventing them from lowering it. Just then, Hallorann spotted the Native American warrior who had led him to the 13th pillar, with Richie's spirit at her side.
Richie ran on the ice, giving the finger to Pennywise before helping his friends plunge the dagger into the ground, and putting Pennywise back in his cage. With the clown cast far away, Margie, Lily, Ronnie and Will agreed that they all felt another pair of hands, suspecting it was Richie.
What happened after the battle on the ice?
With the funeral concluded, Hallorann, who had found some peace with his psychic abilities thanks to Rose's tea, sat next to Richie's parents and told them that the hand they felt on their shoulders was Richie, bringing them some comfort.
While Margie and Lily had no plans to leave Derry, Will and Ronnie prepared to leave town with their parents, but not before they shared a goodbye kiss. While the Hanlons were loading their car, Hallorann bid adieu to Leroy and said the voices in his head had gone quiet, before revealing that he was off to London to take a job in a hotel.
As they said their goodbyes, Hallorann remarked, 'How much trouble can a hotel be?', which as Stephen King fans well know, is a reference to his future job at the Overlook Hotel in Colorado, which is the setting for The Shining.
Meanwhile, Ronnie left town with her dad, Hank, and it's implied that she'll likely forget everything that's happened. But, with Will now staying, he wrote Ronnie a letter, hopeful that he could keep her memories of him alive. In the final scene, we also saw Ingrid Kersh, now insane and living in Juniper Hill asylum.
Read our guide to the best Christmas TV for 2025
It: Welcome to Derry is available to stream in full on Sky and NOW.
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