IT: Welcome to Derry premieres tonight! And earlier this week, we got a glimpse at the highly anticipated (and frankly highly enjoyable and truly terrifying) prequel to Andy Muschietti’s IT and IT: Chapter Two. We were seeing red everywhere, with red balloons floating around the sewers of Derry, and red carpets rolled out for the show’s stars and creators! Click here to get an inside glimpse at our visit to Derry and our conversations with some of the cast and creators from the premiere of this terrifying chapter in the IT saga!

The IT story, as crafted by Stephen King, has always had deeply profound views on the issues of racism and division in society. These are themes that have persisted across Andy Muschietti’s adaptations, and now the new series, IT: Welcome to Derry. At their core, these stories have always been about the power of togetherness, in the face of evil entities attempting to divide people using fear. That’s sounds incredibly relevant and familiar given the times we are living in today.

And yet, in addition to exploring those themes, the story has never failed to be entertaining and absolutely terrifying. As such, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to visit Derry via the red carpet premiere of the series (actually held here in Los Angeles at the famed Warner Bros. lot), to speak with some of the stars and creators of the series about its themes, what lessons America can take from the IT stories, and of course, geek out about their favorite members of The Losers Club and all things Stephen King!

Take a look at what they all had to say here:

We also were lucky enough to attend a roundtable junket with the cast and creators of the series, which you can view right here!

Get into the Halloween spirit by checking out the very first episode of IT: Welcome to Derry on HBO tonight!