🔗 Share this article

The clown's influence on the children of the Derry series shapes them throughout their adult lives, transforming them into the very adults who keep the town's cycle of animosity alive. It preys most easily on kids from broken homes — youngsters who often grow up to replicate the identical behaviors as their parents. However, the Hanlon family stands apart as one of the few households that never splinters, which may explain why Mike, even after electing to remain in the town, remains the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under Pennywise's sway.

The Hanlon Family's Distinctive Resilience

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities enveloping the neighborhood, especially when the entity begins tormenting his child, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan comprises 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 psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's employment of it in the third episode. Subsequently, Leroy spots one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his house. This gift, coupled with his failure to feel fear, along with the base of his household, could be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. However, consider if that shining is generational, and a key factor Mike is among the few adults in the town who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?

The boy is part of the collective of children at his educational institution being tormented by the clown. All his school friends come from dysfunctional families, with parents who don't believe they're being targeted. The reason he is being haunted is because of the cruelty of the town, combined with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are ultimately strangers in the town during 1962, which contributes towards the household feeling something is off about the locality from the onset. They also have a solid base that remains unbroken, unlike the folks who originate in the area, with bonds that have deteriorated internally.

Backstory Connections

Based on the It novel, we understand the young Will Hanlon will end up at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will rescue him from a fire that the town bigots of the community will ignite. In the recent movie, we observe that Will has a son named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a fire, with his father outliving his own child and taking his grandson in. The official story in the motion picture is that the parents were on substances, but given our current view of him in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the timid youth, once he grew up, leaned into alcohol to rid himself of the hauntings, or perhaps the rotten town affected him first, with the KKK ultimately finishing the job it began long before. Whether through the terror of the entity or through the malice of the town, seeded by Pennywise, the creature eventually achieves the last laugh on Will.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would explain how Leroy transforms so drastically from what we witness in the first film and the prequel. In his later years, he appears bitter and much harsher with his discipline. Because he outlived his own son, it's comprehensible to see such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his words carry more weight since we are aware he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they had on his child. In the opening scene of the movie, we observe Mike pause to use a stunning device on a animal at Leroy's farm. Leroy chastises him for hesitating and provides an metaphor that results in a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.

“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be out here like we are, or you can be trapped inside,” he states as he points to the creature. “You waste time hemming and hawing, and someone is going to decide for you. But you will be unaware it until you feel that projectile between your eyes.”

Looking back, this could be a bit of foreshadowing, something he wishes he had told his own son. Perhaps he desires he had acted differently in his youth, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the sickening allure of Derry.