TV Show Review - It: Welcome to Derry

Season: 1
Genre: Horror/ Fantasy
Number of episodes: 8
Year: 2025
Starring: Jovan Adepo, Bill Skrarsgård, Taylour Paige, Stephen Rider, Matilda Lawler, Amanda Christine, Clara Stack, Blake Cameron James, Arian S. Cartaya, Chris Chalk, Jame Remar, Madeleine Stowe

Description: In 1962, a couple with their son move to Derry, Maine just as a young boy disappears. With their arrival, very bad things begin to happen in the town.

Review: “It: Welcome to Derry” is a sequel series to the movies “It” (2017) and “It: Chapter Two” (2019). It’s the ultimate treat for horror fans and a masterful expansion of the Stephen King universe.
Where many prequel movies or series struggle to capture the magic of the original, “It: Welcome to Derry” succeeds in scaring viewers once again. The series serves as a bridge to Andy Muschietti’s films and delves into the dark history of the cursed town of Derry in a way that is both innovative and respectful.  

The beating heart of the series is Bill Skarsgård. His return as Pennywise is nothing short of spectacular. He brings a new layer of cruelty and otherworldly menace to the character that we didn’t full see in the films. He creeps me the f*** out.

The series takes the time to explore the cycle of It. We see how evil manifests itself over the decades, making the world of Derry much bigger and more terrifying. The 1960s setting is beautifully designed; the nostalgic atmosphere forms a stark and effective contrast to the bloody horror that takes place.
The series looks stunning, the cinematography is dark and atmospheric, and the brutal body horror scenes are cinema quality. The creators don’t shy away from violence, resulting in some memorable horror moments.

The friendship between the kids give the show emotional depth, just like in the movies. You truly care about their fate.

“It: Welcome to Derry” is an absolute must-watch for fans of the movies or book. It is a rare example of a prequel that enriches the source material, rather than milking it dry. One of the best series of 2025.

Top 10: Favorite Books of 2024

My goal for 2024 was to read 65 books, I managed to read 86 books. Of those books, 52 were physical, 34 were audio books. My most read genre was thriller and I read most books by Janice Hallett and Peter Swanson. Of all the books, my average rating was 3,6 which is pretty good. I’ve read some really good book this year, I had 16 five star books. Of those 16, there was one reread. I will not add any rereads to my top 10. Here is my top 10 favorite books, that I read in 2024.

10. Any Man by Amber Tamblyn
In “Any Man”, a female rapist is at work. She’s hunting men like prey. The book focuses on male victims, instead of women, and it will impact each reader differently. It’s very thought-provoking and extremely difficult to read because of the heavy subject matter. It’s brutal, poetic and raw. A book that I will most likely never forget, it really got under my skin. READ MY FULL REVIEWHERE
 

9. Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez
A romance in my top 10? Who is she? We meet Alexis, a successful doctor carrying on a legacy from a long line of talented doctors. She meets small-town carpenter Daniel when her car breaks down and eventually ends up at his house, spending the night together. He is ten years younger and their lives couldn’t be more different. But they can’t deny the chemistry that they have between them. It does not sound like anything new in the rom-com universe. But Jimenez somehow made it so heartfelt. "Part of Your World” deals with light themes, but also manages to touch upon some heavier themes like abuse. It’s interwoven in the story and never gets too heavy, but it was beautifully done.This book was everything and I really do want to read all of Abby Jimenez’ books now. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE
 

8. The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James
Simone St. James has become a favorite author of mine since last year and with “The Sun Down Motel” she yet ends up on my end of the year’s favorites list. It follows two timelines, set in a small town called Fall, set in the state of New York. A town where it seems time stood still. The young Carly Kirk travels to this town, trying to figure out the truth about her aunt Viv Delaney, who went missing in 1982, while working the night shift at the Sun Down Motel. When Carly manages to get that same job at the now rundown motel, she soon figures out something is not right in this place. It has a spooky, eerie atmosphere, you know something’s up and it’s genuinely creepy at times. Both female characters are compelling and complex women, interesting to you about. And the story is well-crafted and has some masterful plotting, even though they aren’t many shocking twist or reveals. This was a book I just couldn’t put down. I want to read everything the Simone St. James has ever written. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE
 

7. The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett
Like Simone St. James, Janice Hallett has become a favorite of mine. She is a modern-day Agatha Christie, where she tells her mysteries through mixed media. In “The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels” there is a safe that has research material of true crime events. You have to read the documents and make a decision: destroy them or deliver them to the police. The documents are about the Alperton Angels, a well-known cult that made a teenage girl believe her baby was the anti-Christ. Almost twenty years after the fact, crime author Amanda Bailey wants to write a book about the Angels. Because the Alperton baby has turned eighteen, they can finally be interviewed. If Amanda can find her. She believes she could have the scoop of the year if she manages to track down the baby. But her rival Oliver Menzies is just as smart and also after the story. The story and mystery are so well-crafted. Hallett’s writing is so clever. And I loved the ending, even though it gives you a bitter after taste. This is her best novel yet. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE
 

6. Pines by Blake Crouch
I saw the TV-series that was based on this book, when it was just released. That’s been a while, but I never read the book. It’s the first book in a three-part series. Secret service agent Ethan Burke arrives in Wayward Pines, Idaho, with one clear mission: to search and find two federal agents that were sent here month ago and went missing. But Ethan gets into an accident and ends up in the hospital. When he wakes up, his ID and cell phone are missing. He quickly realizes that something is very wrong in Wayward Pines. While investigating, Ethan gets more questions than answers. I absolutely loved “Pines” and I will most definitely continue this series and want to read more by Blake Crouch. A goal of mine in 2025. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE
 

5. It by Stephen King
Well, this was a chunker. I read this book in January and it took me forever. But I’m so glad I read it. And of all the Stephen King books I have already read over the years, so far, this is my favorite. Seven teenagers, living in Derry, Maine, all face their biggest fears and it still haunts them as adults, when all but one has left Derry. When, after 27 years, that thing they feared the most is back, they all return to Derry to face it once again. The story is disturbing and scary, but a very necessary read for Stephen King fans. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE
 

4. Foe by Iain Reid
Have you ever read a book, where not a lot happens, but somehow it captivates you? “Foe” is that kind of book. And you better read this going in blind. In “Foe” the married couple Junior and Hen live a quiet life on a farm. They live far away from the city. Junior works at the factory and likes things as they are. Even though they have no friends and almost every day is pretty much the same. Hen, on the other hand, feels a bit trapped and the everyday rut. When one day a man named Terrance tells them they have been placed in a lottery in which people can be chosen to participate in a special space mission. From that day forward, Junior and hen’s peaceful life is taking a turn. The book has a great twist, that had my jaw dropping to the floor. The ending is open, sort of. Or at least open for interpretation. The story isn’t very eventful, but I just wanted to keep reading. It was such an intriguing book, loved every minute of it. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE
 

3. Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth
We meet three women, that grew up in a foster home together. Now all grown up, they learn of a body being found under the home they lived in for years, Wild Meadows. The story is being told through alternating timelines, twenty five years apart. And we follow the story from different perspectives as well. This really works for this story. We get to know the girls and meet them again as damaged, traumatized women. The story is compelling and so are the characters. The book has some really strong reveals and twists, but just when you think the story is about to wrap up, Sally Hepworth gives us one final twist. And I loved it! I really can’t fault this book, it’s such a good story. I had read from Hepworth before, and I found that book to be just okay. But this book really blew my mind. It’s definitely a new favorite for me. And now I do want to read more of Hepworth’s books. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE
 

2. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
A feminist in the 1960s? There were plenty of them. But none like Elizabeth Zott. This feminist debut novel by Bonnie Garmus paints a stunning portrait of a woman in the male-dominated world of science and chemistry. “Lessons in Chemistry” is a novel that gives you an insight into the life of a woman in the 1950s/ 1960s. It beautifully highlights the hardship women have to endure when they want something different from what society dictates. It grabbed me from the start, Elizabeth Zott is an inspiring character and I loved every minute of this book. “Lessons in Chemistry” is definitely a new all-time favorite. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE
 

1. We Spread by Iain Reid

I already couldn’t fault Iain Reid’s “Foe”, which I believe to be a masterful piece of literature. I kept reading that “We Spread” was his best book or at least it was the favorite of Reid’s book for many readers. And I now know why. What an amazing book! Penny lives alone after her long-term partner has passed. She is content with her life as is, but after a fall she is being placed in a care facility her partner had arranged for, right before his passing. Soon after settling in, Penny starts to lose her grip on time and reality.Iain Reid keeps ups guessing until the end. I could not put this book down. I loved everything about this and, like “Foe”, I can’t fault this book. It’s perfection. I have new author I can add to my favorites list. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE

 

Honoroable mentions:
Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
The Last Devil to Die by Rochard Osman
I Don’t Need Therapy by Toni Lodge
Heartstopper Volume. 2 by Alice Oseman
Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
The Measure by Nikki Erlick
Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson
The Lies You Told by Harriet Tyce

Book Review - It by Stephen King

Title: It
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Horror
Published: 1986
 
Description: Welcome to Derry, Maine. It’s a small city, a pace as hauntingly familiar as your hometown. Only in Derry the haunting is real…
 
They were seven teenagers when they first stumbled upon the horror. Now they are grown-up men and women who have gone out into the big world to gain success and happiness. But none of them can withstand the force that has drawn them back to Derry to face the nightmare without an end, and the evil without a name.
 
Review: Of all the books I read by Stephen King, I can surely tell that “It” has left the biggest impression on me. It’s one of the scariest books I have ever read.
 
Seven teenagers, living in Derry, Maine, all face their biggest fears and it still haunts them as adults, when all but one has left Derry. When, after 27 years, that thing they feared the most is back, they all return to Derry to face it once again.
 
The book has two timelines that run together, they intertwine; When they were teenagers and that of them as adults. And there is no other author that can flesh out a character as well as Stephen King. Seven characters actually. Seven characters you get to know so well, you come to love, you understand, you sympathize with. Each character gets King’s personal attention, he put so much effort into all of them.
 
Most of Stephen King’s books are slow paced, because he takes his time to describe everything and everyone in extreme detail. And to be honest, King’s books are the only ones I can really appreciate it from, because slower paced books or slow burns are not my favorite. But because King’s storytelling qualities are of such a high level, it doesn’t bother me.  
 
“It” is first and foremost a horror novel, but it is also a coming-of-age story. Childhood fears, friendships, losing innocence, learning about the cruel world, growing into adulthood. These are themes that the book revolves around. And that are also recurring themes in King’s other books.
 
There is this one particular scene in the book, very disturbing given the age of the seven kids, that even Stephen King knew would never make it to the screen. And it didn’t, not in the mini-series nor in the two-parter directed by Andy Muschietti. Which is understandable. This scene seems an extraordinarily strange scene. But given the theme of the book, it entirely fits. With this, Beverly forges together the blood bond they agree on as children. I’m not going to spoil this scene, but if you know, you know.
 
“It” is a very long book, but also a perfect one. I never really could say what my favorite Stephen King was, of the ones that I’d read. But “It” is that book now.
 
Rating: 5/ 5

Top 5 Thursday: Movies I Watched For My Challenge (September 2017)

This was a good month, because I saw a bunch of fantastic films. Here are my five favorites.

5. The Hitman’s Bodyguard
A super funny and harsh action comedy. I loved Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds, apart and together. They make a great duo. And that scene with the nuns alone is reason enought to see it again.

4. Hidden Figures
A very inspiring story, about three black women making a change while working at Nasa. Based on a true story, rooting for women!!

3. It
Since I hate clowns, this was a big deal for me. The old "It" movie doesn't scare me anymore, but this is one of the scariest films I've seen. And also one of the best horror movies of the past years.

2. Brimstone
I'm a little proud to be Dutch now, because it was made by a Dutch director and has Dutch roots. It took him about 8 years to finish it and it was worth the wait.

1. Sing Street
I loved, loved, loved "Sing Street". The 80s time period, the 80s music, the characters, the story. It's so good. And I didn't even know about this film. One of the best films of 2016.

They Almost Made the Top 5: Life

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 97: It

Director: Andy Muschietti
Genre: Horror/ Thriller
Runtime: 135 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Bill Skarsgård, Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Fin Wolfhard, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, Wyatt Oleff

Description: A group of bullied kids band together when a shapeshifting demon, taking the appearance of clown, begins hunting children.

Review: Stephen King’s horror novel “It” was turned into film for the first time in 1990. This made for television film isn’t timeless. It’s a bit outdated and the acting and special effects are a bit cheesy nowadays. It was Tim Curry’s performance that make this film memorable. Because of nostalgia, this film survived for so long. But “It” has been ready for a remake for a while.
Now, 27 years later, it’s finally here. The film focusses on the younger years of the characters, so we don’t see them as adults. In the book we do. And it seems like a very good decision, because there is a lot to be told.
The seven young characters, who call themselves the “Loser Club”, all have to deal with their own problems. Director Andy Muschietti takes time to give each character a solid backstory. That’s difficult with so many characters, and not all of them get that depth. But enough to make you care about them.
After a short introduction, all of them are confronted with their biggest fear. And there is some creepy stuff going on. The film has a good tempo. All seven eventually meet the clown Pennywise, who is the only thing that all the children see. It lives on the fears of kids.
The film is set in the eighties, so it still has that nostalgia. And it also somehow feels like a coming-of-age film. Most important is that the kids try to face their fears and overcome them. And this horror film actually has depth, which is hard to find in many films with that genre.
The young cast is really good, they never overdo it and you van really feel their fear. You take them seriously and the dialogue almost feels adult-like. Bill Skarsgård portrays Pennywise. Completely different from Tim Curry. He isn’t as predictable and he is darker than the previous Pennywise. He portrayed him so he will eventually haunt your dreams.
Did this movie scare me? Yes! I’m not very keen on clowns in the first place, but this film is genuinely scary.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Movie Trailer Sunday (286)

Here are this week's trailers.

Paris Can Wait
Director: Eleanor Coppola
Description: Anne (Diane Lane) is at a crossroads in her life. Long married to a successful, driven but inattentive movie producer (Alec Baldwin), she unexpectedly finds herself taking a car trip from Cannes to Paris with a business associate (Arnaud Viard) of her husband. What should be a seven-hour drive turns into a carefree two-day adventure replete with diversions involving picturesque sights, fine food and wine, humor, wisdom and romance, reawakening Anne's senses and giving her a new lust for life.
Starring: Diane Lane, Alec Baldwin, Arnaud Viand,
Trailer: Trailer "Paris Can Wait"
Comment: I love Diane Lane!!!

It
Director: Andrés Muschietti
Description: In a small town of Derry, Maine, seven children come face to face with life problems, bullies and a monster that takes the shape of a clown called Pennywise.
Starring: Bill Skarsgård, Finn Wolfhard, Javier Bodet, Nicholas Hamilton, Megan Charpentier, Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Steven Williams, Owen Teague, Wyatt Oleff, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Jack Dylan Grazer
Trailer: Trailer "It"
Comment: I f***ing hate clowns!!!

The Lost city of Z
Director: James Gray
Description: A true-life drama, centering on British explorer Col. Percival Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam), who disappeared while searching for a mysterious city in the Amazon in the 1920s.
Starring: CHarlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller, Tom Holland
Trailer: Trailer "The Lost City of Z"
Comment: Oeh, an adventure story!

War Machine
Director: David Michôd
Description: An absurdist war story for our times, writer-director David Michôd (Animal Kingdom) recreates a U.S. General's roller-coaster rise and fall as part reality, part savage parody - raising the specter of just where the line between them lies today. His is an exploration of a born leader's ultra-confident march right into the dark heart of folly. At the story's core is Brad Pitt's sly take on a successful, charismatic four-star general who leapt in like a rock star to command NATO forces in Afghanistan, only to be taken down by a journalist's no-holds-barred exposé.
Starring: Brad Pitt, Anthony Michael Hall, Anthony Hayes, Topher Grace, Alan Ruck, Ben Kingsley, John Magaro
Trailer: Trailer "War Machine"
Comment: Intereseting story.

War for the Planet of the Apes
Director: Matt Reeves
Description: After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar (Andy Serkis) wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind.
Starring: Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Judy Greer, Steve Zahn
Trailer: Trailer "War for the Planet of the Apes"
Comment: I'm not as exciting as I was for the previous two films, but I still want to see it.

Top 5 Thursday: Horror Movies from the 1990s

I do like the genre, horror. Some of them I can easily watch, the bloodier the better. But when it involves ghosts, I can’t watch ‘em alone. Or sleep…. Here are my favorite horror movies from the 1990s.

5. Jacob’s Ladder

When I first saw it, I couldn’t get it out of my head. That scene with the nurse, where her hat falls off and you see these weird things on her head. It was so scary. I was very young at the time though. But still, while watching it now, it scares me. 

 

 

4. Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Nowadays vampires are not that scary anymore. People associate it with romance. But in “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” the lead vampire is really scary (so is Keanu Reeves’ acting by the way).

 

 

3. The Silence of the Lambs

This movie is more scary in the psychological way. Off course Hannibal Lecter is scary, he is a cannibal and his intellect and charm is probably the scariest part of him. But Buffalo Bill always freaked me out even more. He makes suits out of women, come on!

 

 

2. It

Maybe not the scariest movie for most people, but clowns just freak me out. And then this is one scary film. Based on a Stephen King novel. “Kid, want a balloon?” Creepy as hell!

 

 

1. The Sixth Sense

This is the kind of movie, I can’t watch alone. I saw it in theatres, not knowing what to expect. I didn’t sleep for days, seriously. Now, it still scares the hell out of me. Well done M. Night Shyamalan.

 

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: Scream, The Blair Witch Project, From Dusk till Dawn