🔗 Share this article

The clown's influence on the children of Welcome to Derry molds them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the very adults who perpetuate the town's cycle of hatred ongoing. It preys most easily on kids from fractured homes — youngsters who often grow up to repeat the identical behaviors as their guardians. However, the Hanlon household stands apart as one of the few households that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in Derry, remains the sole member who doesn't completely succumb under Pennywise's sway.

The Hanlon Family's Distinctive Resilience

In episode 4 of the series, Leroy Hanlon at last grows more aware of the paranormal entities surrounding the neighborhood, especially when the entity begins tormenting his son, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family comprises a small number of grown-ups who are aware that things are not right with the town, notably Leroy, who was revealed to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was able to detect a fellow psychic's use of it in episode 3. Subsequently, he sees one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his house. The ability, coupled with his failure to feel fear, along with the foundation of his family, may be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. But what if that psychic sensitivity is hereditary, and a key factor Mike is one of the only adults in the town who resisted succumbing to the town's malevolence?

Will is a member of the group of children at his school being terrorized by Pennywise. His classmates hail from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The reason Will is being pursued is because of the viciousness of the town, paired with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. This family are fundamentally strangers in the town during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the family feeling anomalies exist about the locality from the beginning. Additionally, they possess a solid base that isn't fractured, unlike the residents who originate in the town, with relationships that have deteriorated within.

Historical Context

Drawing from the It novel, we know the young Will Hanlon will find himself at the Black Spot, where the psychic will save him from a blaze that the local KKK members of the community will cause. In the 2017 film, we see that Will has a boy named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a fire, with Leroy surviving his own child and taking his grandson in. The official story in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but now that we see him in Welcome to Derry, that's difficult to accept. Perhaps the timid boy, once he became an adult, leaned into drink to rid himself of the hauntings, or maybe the corrupt town affected him initially, with the hate group eventually finishing the job it started years ago. Whether through the terror of Pennywise or via the cruelty of the community, instigated by Pennywise, the creature in the end achieves the last laugh on Will.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would explain how the elder Hanlon changes so radically from what we see in the first film and the prequel. In his older age, Leroy appears resentful and much harsher with his parenting. Because he outlived his own son, it's understandable to observe such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his statements carry more weight since we are aware he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they had on his son. In the initial sequence of the movie, we see Mike hesitate to use a stunning device on a animal at the family property. Leroy reprimands him for hesitating and offers an metaphor that leads to a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“There are two places you can be in this existence. You can be out here like us, or you can be trapped inside,” he states as he gestures to the creature. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and another is going to make that choice. Except you won't know it until you experience that bolt between your eyes.”

Looking back, this could be a bit of prediction, a lesson he wishes he had told his own child. Perhaps he desires he had acted differently in his past, but for some reason, he couldn't resist the sickening allure of the town.