I loved It (2017) and politely refuse to talk about It Chapter Two. So, I have been impatiently waiting for It: Welcome to Derry to drop. I leaned in as soon as it was announced that Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs were developing the prequel series for HBO Max. So, while I was denied screeners at the eleventh hour, I still tuned in Sunday night to see if it would live up to the hype. I found myself overall pleasantly surprised, despite having a couple of questions, comments, and concerns.

What’s Going On In Derry?

‘The Pilot’ takes place in 1962. We meet Matt Clements (Miles Ekhardt), a kid with a pacifier habit who loves to sneak into movies. He is caught in a showing of The Music Man and has to leave the venue. He makes the mistake of hitchhiking with a family that turns out to be the last time he is seen. The demonic car ride sets us up to know that kids are in danger in this series, and Matty is clearly not our lead.

Matty’s friends Teddy Uris (Mikkal Karim-Fidler) and Phil Malkin (Jack Molloy Legault) are still reeling from his disappearance. Teddy seems to be taking it the worst as everyone in town refuses to talk to him about it. Another kid taking this disappearance hard is Lilly Bainbridge (Clara Stack), who was on the brink of a possible friendship with Matt. She also has her own baggage, so when Matt’s voice and fingers make their way into her drain, she connects with his friends.

This leads them to form a kid gang to investigate, which includes Susie (Hunter Storm Baker) and Ronnie Grogan (Amanda Christie). As an audience, you assume this will be our core group. However, you know what they say about assuming and It: Welcome to Derry makes a bloody ass out of you and me. The ending is shocking, and the reason I will be tuning into the second episode.

Who’s Who?

While we know Bill Skarsgård will be reprising the role of Pennywise, we do not see him in the first episode. Which is smart because you have to leave the audience wanting more. However, we do meet Leroy Hanlon (Jovan Adepo), who is the grandfather of Mike Hanlon. So, that’s a huge connection to The Loser’s Club we all know from the book and films. He’s experiencing racism at a military base and is ambushed by a weird group that he and his friend fend off. His story was sort of sidelined, so I’m waiting to see how it fully intertwines with what the kids got into. It’s still early yet, and whatever we think we know might not be the gospel. However, his wife Charlotte Hanlon (Taylour Paige) will also be getting screen time. I’m happy to see this because most King adaptations become overwhelmingly white cast affairs. 

Speaking of Black characters from the Stephen King Universe getting more to do, young Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk) will be involved in the story in some way. Constant Readers will remember Dick from The Shining. He was the Black character who also had “the shine’ and saved Danny and Wendy from the Overlook Hotel. In my least favorite adaptation, he is played by the late and great Scatman Crothers. Stanley Kubrick decided to axe the Black psychic character and perpetuate a trope with his version of King’s tale. A choice I still side-eye, and why I love to see this character in other iterations of the tale. So, I am very excited to see how he will fit into It: Welcome to Derry.

Am I Feeling It: Welcome to Derry?

As a former Constant Reader and a lover of horror television, I’m an easy target for this show. While I think the pilot had a couple of things that don’t quite make sense (yet), I’m still leaning in. I am here for the vicious way children are dispatched, the surprising deaths, and for the expansion of one Stephen King’s most iconic baddies. So, I have a date with It: Welcome to Derry this weekend. I want to see where it goes now that most of the cast we were introduced to is dead. I also want to see Pennywise on the small screen to see if Skarsgård can creep us out again. More importantly, it is a fun and intriguing story, and that goes a long way with me.

It’s too soon to say if It: Welcome to Derry will be one of the best shows of the year. However, I have hope that it’s ramping up to be a good time. If it avoids falling into fan service territory and tightens up some of the story, this could be a damn good time. There is so much potential in this pilot. I cannot help rooting for it to find its footing and surprise us all. Sadly, hope is a dangerous thing, so I am so nervous it could be another fumble down the line. All I know is I plan to show up for the next two episodes and see where this all goes.

Watch the ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ Trailer

As genre fans, we see a lot of streamers vying for our dollars and promising to give us the gory goods. In addition to the usual suspects, we usually get a handful, geared specifically towards genre fans, that pop up every once in a while. While some deliver and stick around, like Shudder, others end up leaving us nothing but fond memories, like Chiller. With streamers like Arrow Video, Midnight Pulp, Screambox, Scream TV, etc., it’s hard to know which apps are worth the time and money anymore. Which is why, after learning about Night Flight Plus at Brooklyn Horror Film Fest, I decided to take this streamer for a test drive. I ran through the library and took notes to help you figure out if this site deserves a slot in your streaming app lineup. Let us dive in.

What Even Is Night Flight Plus?

First things first, Night Flight Plus is not just a horror app. It launched in 2016 and is built around the 1980s USA Network series Night Flight. So, they have episodes of that show and walk a fine line between genre and music documentaries. The site celebrates counterculture. Meaning there is a ton of cool stuff for film and music nerds alike. While a lot of their horror movies can be found on other apps (look right at Shudder and Kanopy), they have a robust animated film section and a ridiculous amount of short films. So, it is setting itself apart from most other streamers simply by having a decent-sized smorgasbord of random cool stuff. I personally have my eye on New York Dolls – Lookin’ Fine On Television if I have time to step outside of the horror space while playing on the app.

What Movies Are Streaming This Month?

This month’s categories of note include: Black Phone 2: Curated by Director Scott Derrickson. Derrickson proves he has a taste and has assembled a lineup which includes Tetsuo: The Iron Man, Opera, a 1988 video profile of John Carpenter, and a handful of documentaries about film and music.  

In keeping with the Black Phone 2 theme, Night Flight Plus also has:  Black Phone 2: Late-Nite Faves 1980-82. This section includes The Boogeyman (1980), Fade to Black, Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker, and Dark Night of the Scarecrow. It also has the movie that introduced me to the world of Frank Henenlotter, Basket Case.

However, it’s the Japanese Horror section that pulled me in. Evil Dead Trap, Evil Dead Trap 2: Hideki, Bloody Muscle Body Builder In Hell, Dead Sushi, and Madame O. While some can be found in other corners of the internet, a few are movies that have eluded me for years. So, I will definitely be making time to cross these off my list while I have access to this app.

But Wait! There’s More!

Night Flight Plus also offers label showcases for companies like Yellow Veil, Severin Films, Blue Underground, and Arrow Video. The eclectic categories also include sections of work directed by Lucio Fulci, Dario Argento, and Antonio Margheriti. I also appreciate the thought to add “Blaxploitation, Mob Action and Rough Street Justice” and include Black films off the beaten path. Action fans might want to check out the Bruceploitation Collection, featuring 11 Bruce Lee films at the moment. Overall, the streamer feels like one of those restaurants that dabbles in various kinds of cuisine, and you have to figure out where it excels. 

Because memberships are as low as $6.99 per month (or $59.99 for an annual unlimited access), I think it is worth checking out for a month or two. If things get serious, you can definitely think about making a long-term commitment. To sweeten the deal, Night Flight Plus is available on Roku, Apple TV, iPhone, Android, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast, Google Play, and Sony. You can also view their library on a web browser if none of those options work for you.

Night Flight Plus is currently offering seven-day trials for people who want to try it before they buy it. They also allow you to have the service on as many devices as you please, unlike Netflix. So, if you’re looking to get into some fringe, cult, and punk cinema, you might want to give it a whirl. However, if none of these deep cuts and nearly forgotten gems get you excited, then this isn’t the streamer for you.

You can check out Night Flight Plus here.