Naman Shrestha
Based on the 1986 novel titled ‘It’ by Stephen King and the prequel to the 2017 film ‘It’ and 2019 film ‘It: Chapter Two,’ HBO Max’s ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ is a period horror thriller series created by Jason Fuchs, Andy Muschietti, and Barbara Muschietti. Serving as the origin story of Pennywise the Clown, the narrative also delves deep into the horrific history of Derry through the perspective of a young boy named Maine.
It is 1962, when Maine relocates to the town with his parents. While the family is still settling into Derry and getting familiar with the place, eerie things begin to happen. For instance, the disappearance of a young boy becomes the talk of the town and the subject of an investigation. Starring Bill Skarsgård, Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, and Clara Stack, the supernatural drama series transports us back to the 1960s in the fictional town of Derry, which in itself serves as an additional character because it is the home of the infamous Pennywise the Clown.
It: Welcome to Derry Filming Locations
‘It: Welcome to Derry’ is primarily filmed in different parts across Ontario, especially in the Greater Toronto Area, Hamilton, Port Hope, and many other locations. Principal photography for the inaugural iteration of the horror series reportedly got underway in May 2023 under the working title ‘Greetings from Fairview,’ but due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes, the shooting was halted for several months starting from July 2023. The cast and crew returned to the set in February 2024 and resumed production. In August of the same year, it was finally wrapped up after about 237 shoot days.
Greater Toronto Area, Ontario
A significant portion of ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ is lensed in the Greater Toronto Area, which consists of the namesake city and the surrounding regional municipalities. Also known as GTA, the metropolitan area is home to various film studios, including Sullivan Studios, Pinewood Toronto Studios, Revival Film Studios, Moonlight Film Studio, and more. The production team reportedly utilized the amenities of one of the film studios to shoot several indoor and outdoor scenes.
The city of Toronto consists of numerous residential areas, one of which doubles for the town of Derry. Besides Toronto, the cast and crew members of the show also set up camp in various other cities in the GTA, such as Mississauga, Brampton, Pickering, and North York. The unincorporated communities of Goodwood and Georgetown also served as prominent filming sites for the horror series. As per reports, the locales of the township of Uxbridge and the administrative district of Etobicoke also feature in multiple scenes.
Hamilton, Ontario
Located just west of the GTA, Hamilton also hosted the production of ‘It: Welcome to Derry.’ In order to tape the scenes involving the local Derry High School, the filming unit took over the campus of Delta Secondary School at 1284 Main Street East in the city of Hamilton. Built in 1925, the school was reportedly permanently shut down in 2019. Apart from the exteriors, the interiors of the classrooms and other spots on the campus were also captured to portray Derry High School realistically.
Port Hope, Ontario
In the months of April and May 2024, the cast and crew members of ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ also traveled to the municipality of Port Hope. For shooting purposes, they redressed Walton Street to represent the era of the 1960s by adding vintage cars on the street and transforming the storefronts of the businesses. Jim’s Pizza & Pasta at 22 Walton Street, which was turned into a Chinese restaurant, is one of the several businesses that feature in a few scenes of the series. Multiple street scenes were also shot on Queen Street, in front of the Capitol Theatre, and in a few residential areas across Port Hope.
Other Locations in Ontario
Additional portions for ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ were also taped in other parts of Ontario, including the large community of Trenton and the cities of Niagara Falls and Guelph. Moreover, the filming unit set up camp in the unincorporated village of Pontypool and the town of Lincoln. The municipality of Brant and the neighborhood of Astra in the municipality of Quinte West also served as shooting locations for the series. In addition, numerous key outdoor scenes were also reportedly lensed at Canadian Forces Base Borden (CFB Borden), seemingly located on El Alamein Road West.
Read More: It Chapter Two: Where Was the Movie Filmed?
