Where was IT: Welcome to Derry season 1 filmed? All filming locations revealed

It: Welcome to Derry, inspired by Stephen King’s 1986 novel It and serving as a prequel to the 2017 film It and its 2019 sequel It: Chapter Two, premiered on HBO on October 26, 2025. Developed by Jason Fuchs with Andy and Barbara Muschietti, it explores the terrifying origins of Pennywise the Clown in 1962’s Derry, Maine.

The first season opens with the disappearance of a young boy, whose friends soon start to hear his cries for help in odd places, sometimes even from within the pipelines. The family of a decorated Air Force pilot also moved into Derry and is taken aback by the innate weirdness of the town. In the backdrop of the Cold War, the new space age, and technological advancements, Derry seems to be the perfect quaint town for the evil entity to feed on people’s fears. 

Filming for the show took place in the province of Ontario in Canada between May 2023 and July 2024, and was delayed due to a strike in the industry. The first season comprises nine episodes and has opened to positive critical reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the popular film and television review site, it has a critic score of 78%, rated “Fresh.” 

Exploring the filming location of Welcome to Derry season 1

Greater Toronto Area, Ontario

A large portion of It: Welcome to Derry was filmed across the Greater Toronto Area, with Toronto itself doubling as the eerie town of Derry. The production made use of several renowned studios, including Pinewood Toronto and Revival Film Studios, for key indoor and outdoor sequences. Additional filming took place in surrounding GTA cities such as Mississauga, Brampton, Pickering, and North York, along with smaller communities like Goodwood and Georgetown. The township of Uxbridge and Etobicoke also appeared in multiple scenes, offering diverse settings that helped recreate the haunting 1960s atmosphere of Stephen King’s fictional Derry.

Port Hope, Ontario

During April and May 2024, filming for It: Welcome to Derry took place in the municipality of Port Hope, Ontario. The production team transformed Walton Street into a 1960s setting by adding period-appropriate cars and redesigning storefronts, including turning Jim’s Pizza & Pasta at 22 Walton Street into a Chinese restaurant. Several key street scenes were filmed along Queen Street, near the historic Capitol Theatre, and within nearby residential neighborhoods, effectively recreating the vintage atmosphere of Derry and capturing the eerie charm essential to the series’ period horror aesthetic.

Hamilton, Ontario

Hamilton, situated west of the Greater Toronto Area, served as a key filming location for It: Welcome to Derry. The production transformed the historic Delta Secondary School at 1284 Main Street East into Derry High School, using both its exterior and interior spaces for authenticity. Built in 1925 and closed permanently in 2019, the school’s vintage architecture provided the perfect backdrop for the show’s 1960s setting. Its preserved classrooms and hallways helped bring the fictional Derry High to life with a realistic and nostalgic atmosphere.

How to watch IT: Welcome to Derry

New episodes of IT: Welcome to Derry air on HBO every Sunday at 9 pm ET, and become available for streaming simultaneously on HBO Max. 

Viewers who wish to stream the show online need to subscribe to the HBO Max platform, with prices starting at $10.99 per month. To watch without ads, viewers can upgrade to the ad-free plan at $16.99 per month, while the Ultimate Ad-Free plan at $20.99 per month offers the highest video and audio quality.

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