Derry’s Creeping Fog: It’s Not The Mist, Or Is It?
A mysterious fog rolls into Derry in the It: Welcome to Derry finale, sparking debate over its connection to Stephen King’s The Mist. Director Andy Muschietti weighs in, but the answer isn’t as clear as it seems.
It: Welcome to Derry has been packed with nods for die-hard Stephen King fans, with each of its eight episodes dropping references to his wider universe. From subtle mentions of Carrie to sly winks at The Shawshank Redemption, the series has kept viewers on their toes. But it was the finale that really got people talking, when a thick fog swept over Derry just as General Shaw and the military forced the town’s ancient evil out of hiding. The scene had more than a few punters wondering if they were seeing a direct link to King’s 1980 classic, The Mist, where a similar haze brings all sorts of nasties to a small town supermarket.
Fog, Dead Lights, and the Todash Field
Director Andy Muschietti has since addressed the speculation, and his answer is as murky as the fog itself. He’s been quick to say the mist in Derry isn’t a deliberate nod to The Mist, but then admits there’s a connection all the same.
‘Of course, in The Mist, they say that the mist comes from the Todash Field, the same interdimensional plane that It is from,’
he explained, before adding,
‘So it’s unrelated, but it’s also related.’
Not exactly clearing things up, but it does tie the two stories together in a roundabout way.
Muschietti went on to say he used the fog to show the spread of the clouds that surround the Dead Lights. When the meteor crashes into Derry in episode four, viewers see the three Dead Lights swirling around a cloud of fog. That physical element, he reckons, was set up there, and for this story, he wanted to show it as a force that keeps growing.
What’s Next for Derry?
While there’s no official word yet on a second season, it’s looking likely that more episodes are on the cards. After the finale, Muschietti shared his plans for three seasons, revealing that the next chapter will jump back to the Depression era in Derry. Some familiar faces will return, but as younger versions of themselves, alongside a few new characters.
‘It takes place during the Depression in Derry, and there are some new characters and some characters from this season as well, but younger versions of them,’
he said.
For now, fans can catch It: Welcome to Derry streaming on HBO Max, and keep an eye out for more cryptic connections and King-sized Easter eggs in the future.