Saving the best movie connections for last.

It: Welcome to Derry ending epilogue explained: How [SPOILER] return ‘was a last-minute idea’

Saving the best movie connections for last.

By Nick Romano

Nick Romano is a senior editor at ** with 15 years of journalism experience covering entertainment. His work previously appeared in *Vanity Fair*, Vulture, IGN, and more.

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December 14, 2025 10:30 p.m. ET

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Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise on 'It: Welcome to Derry'. Credit:

Brooke Palmer/HBO

- *It: Welcome to Derry* creators dig into how they lined up the events of the horror prequel with their first movie.

- One of the surprise reveals "was a last-minute idea" they shot earlier this year.

- The other surprise marks the final role of [REDACTED].

**Warning: This article contains spoilers from *It: Welcome to Derry* episode 8, "Winter Fire."**

Stephen King loves an epilogue, and so do the creators of *It: Welcome to Derry*.

The HBO prequel horror-drama ended its season 1 finale with a few special guests. A flash-forward takes us 26 years after Pennywise was put to rest, so just one year before the events of the first *It* movie. We find a now-elderly Ingrid Kersh, portrayed by *It Chapter Two* actress Joan Gregson.

The sound of screams draws her from her room at Juniper Hill Asylum. Ingrid follows the despairing voices to Room 115, where we find a young Beverly Marsh, played by the returning Sophia Lillis from the films. Bev and her father (we don't see his face) fall apart at the sight of her mother's dead body.

*It Chapter Two*, released in theaters in 2019, alluded to the fact that Elfrida Marsh killed herself, but the specifics were never mentioned. We now learn Elfrida was a patient at the asylum and made multiple attempts to take her own life until she finally succeeded. It's a moment that also contributed to the physical and emotional abuse Bev would go on to receive from her father, who whacks her away in this epilogue scene.

A distraught Bev turns towards Mrs. Kersh, who says, "You know what they say about Derry? No one who dies here ever really dies." It's the same line Gregson's Ingrid delivers to adult Bev (Jessica Chastain) in *It Chapter Two*, though in that circumstance, the It entity takes the form of Mrs. Kersh.

“Hair Is Winter Fire”

Sophia Lillis as Beverly Marsh in 2017's 'It'.

Warner Bros. Pictures

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The season finale is titled "Winter Fire," which could be used to describe the wintry battle against Pennywise on the frozen lake, but it's also a direct link to Beverly. Ben Hanscom, another member of the Loser's Club, wrote her a love poem that read, "Your hair is winter fire / January embers / My heart burns there, too."

In many ways, this epilogue was the whole point of the show. Andy and Barbara Muschietti, executive producers and co-creators of the two *It* films and HBO's *It: Welcome to Derry*, tell ** how they would've brought all the original Loser's Club back for cameos if they could.

"It was important for me to make a stronger connection to the movies," Andy, who directs multiple episodes, including the finale, says. "The idea of bringing Beverly back in the epilogue was a last-minute idea."

Jessica Chastain and Joan Gregson in 'It Chapter Two'.

The team was fast approaching the end of additional photography when Andy felt something was missing. He knew an audience would make connections between the show and the movies in their minds, but he wanted a stronger visual link. "Once we made the decision to see the wanted poster of Richie and you see Finn Wolfhard's face, it suddenly whet our appetites to see a little bit more of the Losers from that first film," Jason Fuchs, series co-creator and co-showrunner, comments.

More than just a fun cameo, they wanted to enhance the meaning of the films in some way. Since Kersh was already a main character on *It: Welcome to Derry* by way of Madeleine Stowe, the one Loser with the most connection to Ingrid is Bev.

"That scene takes on a different meaning when you go back and rewatch," Fuchs says of the second movie's scene with Chastain and Gregson. "Beverly might not remember that encounter, but somewhere that's deep in the recesses of her mind. Now you understand why It would choose that form to take. This is a deep-seeded memory of hers. The most traumatic moment of her life is linked to an early encounter with Mrs. Kersh."

Joan Gregson’s final role

Joan Gregson as Mrs. Kersh in 'It Chapter Two'.

*It: Welcome to Derry* became Joan Gregson's final role. The actress died at the age of 92 in June of this year, just two months after she filmed this sequence with Lillis in April.

"She was 91 when we shot," Barbara shares. "She was hilarious and so talented and just so game for it."

The idea to bring back Gregson was sparked by one of the camera operators on the series, Angelo Colavecchia, one of the many recurring crew members the Muschiettis like to work with. Colavecchia mentioned to Andy in passing how he worked with the actress on a recent project and passed along her hellos.

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"I was pleasantly surprised because you assume that person is retired or something, but I was very glad to hear that she was still around and working," the filmmaker recalls.

The finale now becomes more poignant with the knowledge that it's Gregson's last performance in a character that she loved. "She had the most incredible life," Barbara adds. "She was a theater actor for most of her life. It was such an honor to be able to get her back. She was very happy to be there."**

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Horror”