🔗 Share this article

Pennywise's influence on the children of Welcome to Derry molds them long into adulthood, twisting them into the very adults who perpetuate the community's pattern of hatred alive. It finds easy targets on children from fractured households — children who frequently mature to replicate the same patterns as their guardians. But, the Hanlon family stands apart as one of the few households that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike, even after choosing to stay in the town, persists as the sole member who doesn't completely succumb under Pennywise's sway.

The Hanlon Family's Unique Resistance

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy finally becomes more aware of the supernatural forces enveloping the community, especially when the entity starts haunting his child, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family consists of some of the few grown-ups who are aware that things are not right with the town, notably Leroy, who was shown to be receptive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's employment of it in the third episode. Later, he spots one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his residence. The ability, alongside his failure to experience terror, combined with the foundation of his family, may be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. But what if that psychic sensitivity is hereditary, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is one of the only individuals in the town who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?

The boy is a member of the collective of children at his school being terrorized by Pennywise. His classmates come from dysfunctional families, with parents who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The reason he is being haunted is due to the viciousness of the town, combined with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are fundamentally strangers in Derry during the early sixties, which contributes towards the family sensing something is off about the locality from the beginning. They also have a good foundation that remains unbroken, in contrast to the folks who come from the town, with relationships that have decayed internally.

Historical Context

Drawing from the original book, we know the juvenile Will will find himself at the Black Spot, where Hallorann will rescue him from a blaze that the local KKK members of Derry will ignite. In the recent movie, we see that Will has a son named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a configration, with Leroy surviving his own child and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the motion picture is that the parents were on drugs, but now that we see Will in Welcome to Derry, that's difficult to accept. Maybe the shy youth, once he grew up, turned to drink to rid himself of the hauntings, or maybe the rotten environment got to him initially, with the KKK ultimately finishing the job it started long before. Whether through the terror of the entity or through the malice of the town, seeded by It, the creature eventually gets the final victory on him.

The Father's Evolution

This chain of events would clarify how the elder Hanlon transforms so drastically from what we see in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, he seems resentful and much harsher with his discipline. Because he outlived his own offspring, it's comprehensible to see such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his statements hold greater significance now that we know he's witnessed Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they had on his child. In the opening scene of It, we see Mike hesitate to use a bolt gun on a animal at Leroy's farm. Leroy reprimands him for hesitating and provides an analogy that results in a survival-of-the-fittest situation.

“There are two places you can be in this world. You can be in the open like we are, or you can be in there,” he says as he points to the sheep. “You waste time indecisive, and another is going to decide for you. But you won't know it until you feel that projectile in your head.”

In hindsight, this could be a bit of prediction, something he wishes he had told his own child. Maybe he desires he had done something in his past, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the sickening attraction of Derry.