🔗 Share this article

The clown's influence on the young residents of the Derry series molds them long into adulthood, transforming them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the town's pattern of hatred alive. The creature preys most easily on children from fractured households — youngsters who often grow up to repeat the identical behaviors as their guardians. But, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as one of the few family unit that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in Derry, remains the only Loser who never fully falls under the clown's influence.

The Hanlon Family's Unique Resistance

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy at last grows increasingly conscious of the supernatural forces enveloping the community, particularly when the entity begins tormenting his son, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family consists of some of the few grown-ups who are aware that something is amiss with the municipality, notably the father, who was revealed to be receptive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's employment of it in the third episode. Subsequently, he spots one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his house. The ability, coupled with his failure to experience terror, combined with the base of his household, could be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. However, consider if that shining is hereditary, and one of the reasons Mike is among the few individuals in the town who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?

The boy is a member of the collective of kids at his educational institution being tormented by Pennywise. His classmates hail from dysfunctional families, with parents who don't believe they're being targeted. The cause Will is being haunted is due to the cruelty of the community, combined with his potential sensitivity to shine, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are fundamentally strangers in the town during 1962, which lends itself towards the family sensing something is off about the locality from the onset. They also have a solid base that isn't fractured, in contrast to the residents who originate in the area, with bonds that have decayed internally.

Historical Context

Based on the original book, we know the juvenile Will Hanlon will find himself at the infamous nightclub, where the psychic will save him from a fire that the local KKK members of the community will cause. In the 2017 movie, we observe that he has a boy named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a configration, with Leroy outliving his own child and taking his grandson in. The official story in the film is that the parents were on substances, but now that we see Will in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Maybe the timid boy, once he became an adult, leaned into drink to rid himself of the hauntings, or maybe the corrupt environment affected him first, with the hate group ultimately completing the task it started long before. Whether through the fear of Pennywise or through the cruelty of the town, seeded by It, the creature eventually gets the final victory on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

These occurrences would explain how the elder Hanlon changes so radically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his older age, Leroy appears resentful and much stricter with his discipline. Since he outlived his own son, it's understandable to see such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his words hold greater significance since we are aware he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they wrought upon his child. In the opening scene of the movie, we see Mike hesitate to use a bolt gun on a animal at Leroy's farm. Leroy chastises him for delaying and provides an metaphor that results in a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“There are two places you can be in this world. You can be out here like us, or you can be in there,” Leroy states as he points to the creature. “You dawdle indecisive, and another is going to make that choice. But you will be unaware it until you experience that projectile in your head.”

Looking back, this could be a bit of foreshadowing, something he regrets not imparting to his own child. Perhaps he wishes he had acted differently in his past, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the sickening allure of Derry.