Exactly When IT: Welcome to Derry Episode 2 Drops — And Where to Watch
Halloween just got scarier: IT: Welcome to Derry episode 2 lands October 31, 2025 at 12 a.m. PT/3 a.m. ET, arriving ahead of schedule after an explosive Episode 1 ending.
Well, that escalated quickly. IT: Welcome to Derry just pulled a Halloween trick and is dropping Episode 2 earlier than planned. If you like your creepy clowns at an unreasonable hour, you’re in luck.
When and where to watch
Episode 2, titled 'The Thing in the Dark,' hits HBO Max early on Friday, October 31, 2025 at 12:00 a.m. PT / 3:00 a.m. ET. The regular HBO airing sticks to the usual Sunday slot on November 2, 2025 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.
Season 1 is otherwise rolling out weekly, but this one is jumping the line by three days for Halloween. Smart move.
About that wild pilot
The premiere ended with a bang — literally and structurally — flipping the usual expectation that your main kids make it out of the first hour. The show is clearly setting the tone early, and the marketing is leaning into it. The official promo art even swapped to reflect the new vibe.
'No one is safe'
What Episode 2 is actually doing
We’re in Derry, Maine, 1962, picking up right where the theater disaster left the town (and the cops) reeling. The police investigation is underway, Pennywise’s reach is spreading in the margins, and there’s a military thread starting to unfurl that’s more than just background noise.
Expect to see Lilly and Ronnie again, plus a few key new/returning players: Major Leroy Hanlon, General Shaw, and yes, Dick Hallorann — the same Dick Hallorann — tying this corner of Derry to The Shining side of the universe in a way that’s more than a wink. If the pilot was about shock, this one’s about widening the map.
Themes the show is clearly interested in (and Episode 2 keeps pushing): Derry’s repeating cycles of horror, how institutions react when the inexplicable pokes through, and the tug-of-war between fear, trauma, and what kids do to survive. It’s the Stephen King greatest hits, filtered through a 60s small-town lens.
Credits-wise, Jason Fuchs wrote the episode, and Andy Muschietti is back in the director’s chair. The executive producers Andy and Barbara Muschietti seem very ready to keep the momentum going after a well-received pilot.
Episode guide
- Episode 1: The Pilot — October 26, 2025
- Episode 2: The Thing in the Dark — October 31, 2025 (streaming early); November 2, 2025 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO
- Episode 3: Now You See It — November 9, 2025
- Episode 4: TBA — November 16, 2025
- Episode 5: TBA — November 23, 2025
- Episode 6: TBA — November 30, 2025
- Episode 7: TBA — December 7, 2025
- Episode 8: TBA — December 14, 2025
The short version
Episode 2 lands on HBO Max at midnight PT/3 a.m. ET on Halloween with the linear HBO airing Sunday at 9 p.m. ET/PT. It continues the fallout from the theater massacre, deepens Pennywise’s shadow over Derry, introduces a military angle, and brings Dick Hallorann into the mix to connect the dots with The Shining. If the pilot’s ending told you nobody’s wearing plot armor, the new poster makes it official.
IT: Welcome to Derry is streaming on HBO Max. Episode 2 hits October 31, 2025.