For Andy and Barbara Muschietti, creating IT: Welcome to Derry for HBO, a show they executive-produced, came pretty naturally. The sibling duo, who were behind It and It Chapter Two, are now expanding Stephen King’s seminal story to explore what came before and what secrets the town holds. But as Andy and Barbara shared with Remezcla, horror has always been a part of their lives.
“We grew up… we started watching movies at six, six years old,” Andy Muschetti shared. “And horror movies,” Barbara added. “There were horror movies on TV. There was a famous Argentinian showcase program, a TV show on Saturday nights, Viaje a lo Inesperado. And a lot of people from our generation watched all the same movies. So we’re like, imprinted with the terrible,” Andy explained.
“It was a family event,” Barbara laughed, to which Andy added. “We would watch movies like Dr. Phibes and very, very varied. The Manster…” Barbara once again interjected with another example, “The Hand,” before Andy continued. “Omega Man, and countless others. The Fearless Vampire Killers, a big range of different horror movies from different years and styles. That was the imprint.”
For Barbara, it was the kind of thing that leaves a mark. “We loved it. We couldn’t wait for next Saturday. And also, it made me feel, at seven years old, very adult. And that was a great feeling, you know, that I could take it.”
That, and growing up in a culture that is seeped in horror tales, was formative. “We had a lot of like… that’s the thing when you’re a kid, you can’t discern the stories from real life. And there’s always like, a family gathering, where someone talks about the little green men in Coghlan, which is a neighborhood in Argentina. And you’re fascinated and terrified about it,” Andy shared.
Barbara said the experience of growing up in Argentina was instrumental. “We come from a very, Argentina is a very superstitious country. And, all the living with those superstitions is like, well, if I walk 10 steps faster, that car will pass me, then my parents won’t die. It’s constant, like applying superstition to your own life. It’s a horror film in itself.”
The siblings were glad they got to bring all of these experiences to working together. “We are very, very different people,” Barbara shared. “We operate through life and in different ways, which makes us the perfect complement to each other in this incredibly difficult business.” But it’s not just that. “It is such a complicated business to navigate, so having unconditional love and feeling that you can completely trust someone is almost impossible. And I think Andy and I have it because we’re siblings.”
With IT: Welcome to Derry, the siblings hope to be able to bring to people answers like “what is It? Where does it come from? What does it want?” and teased that “all those cryptic enigmas that are presented in the book are explored in this Welcome to Derry longer arc story.” And if you’re hooked already, take solace in this. “Season one is just the first part.”
IT: Welcome to Derry airs Sundays on HBO.
