🔗 Share this article

Pennywise's impact on the children of Welcome to Derry molds them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the town's cycle of hatred ongoing. It finds easy targets on kids from fractured households — children who frequently mature to repeat the identical behaviors as their parents. But, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as a rare example of a households that never splinters, which may explain 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 Unique Resistance

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy at last grows increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities surrounding the community, particularly when the entity begins tormenting his child, Will Hanlon, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon clan comprises some of the few grown-ups who are aware that things are not right with the municipality, especially the father, who was shown to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was able to detect a fellow psychic's use of it in the third episode. Later, he spots one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his residence. This gift, alongside his inability to feel fear, along with the foundation of his household, may be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. But what if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and one of the reasons Mike is among the few adults in the town who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

Will is a member of the group of kids at his educational institution being terrorized by the clown. All his school friends come from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who refuse to accept they're being haunted. The reason Will is being haunted is due to the viciousness of the town, combined with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are ultimately outsiders in Derry during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the household feeling something is off about the locality from the beginning. They also have a solid base that isn't fractured, in contrast to the folks who originate in the area, with relationships that have deteriorated internally.

Historical Context

Drawing from the It novel, we understand the juvenile Will Hanlon will end up at the infamous nightclub, where the psychic will save him from a blaze that the town bigots of the community will ignite. In the 2017 movie, we observe that he has a son named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a fire, with Leroy outliving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but given our current view of him in Welcome to Derry, that's difficult to accept. Maybe the timid boy, once he grew up, turned to drink to free himself of the torments, or perhaps the rotten town affected him first, with the hate group eventually completing the task it began years ago. Whether through the terror of the entity or through the cruelty of the community, instigated by It, the creature eventually achieves the final victory on him.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would clarify 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 parenting. Since he survived his own offspring, it's understandable to observe such a profound shift. However, his statements carry more weight now that we know he's witnessed the clown's activities and the effects they had on his child. In the initial sequence of It, we see the boy hesitate to use a stunning device on a animal at the family property. His grandfather reprimands him for delaying and provides an metaphor that results in a kill-or-be-killed scenario.

“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 dawdle indecisive, and another is going to decide for you. Except you won't know it until you feel that projectile between your eyes.”

In hindsight, this could represent a piece of prediction, a lesson he regrets not imparting to his own child. Maybe he desires he had acted differently in his past, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the repellent allure of Derry.