IT: Welcome To Derry Delivered Its Scariest, Freakiest Scene Yet In Episode 4, But The Actress Told Me About A Super Sweet Bond With A Co-Star

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Be warned: This article reveals major plot details from both The Running Man and the most recent episode of IT: Welcome to Derry. If you haven’t watched either of these yet, you might want to avoid reading further!

It seems like only yesterday I was excited about all the Stephen King adaptations coming in 2025, but here we are, nearing the end of a fantastic year for King fans! With Edgar Wright’s The Running Man now in theaters, the final King movie of the year has arrived. And with the fifth episode of IT: Welcome to Derry set to premiere on Sunday, we’ll be over halfway through the last King TV series of the year. But before I look ahead, I want to talk about Episode 4 of the HBO series and what was, for me, the most terrifying and unsettling scene so far.

This week’s top story on King Beat is an interview with Matilda Lawler, who plays Marge Truman in the new series IT: Welcome to Derry. But that’s not all – we also have Steven de Souza, writer of the 1987 film The Running Man, sharing his thoughts on the ending of Edgar Wright’s latest movie, plus some exciting news about upcoming home video releases. There’s plenty to cover, so let’s get started!

The IT: Welcome To Derry Eye Worm Scene Freaked Me Out, But Matilda Lawler Has A Lovely Behind The Scenes Story About It

I was genuinely creeped out by how much build-up Episode 4 of IT: Welcome To Derry gave to that terrifying scene. It wasn’t just random; if you think back to the very first episode, you might remember Marge worrying about how big her eyes seemed. Combining that detail with the classroom talk about parasitic worms created something truly disturbing – seeing those worm-like stalks actually growing out of her eyes, and her frantic attempt to cut them off in the wood shop, was just… awful. It really stuck with me.

This is possibly the most disturbing scene we’ve seen on the HBO show so far, so I had to ask Matilda Lawler about filming it during our recent interview. I also used that same virtual interview to ask Amanda Christine about “The Mother Thing” and Clara Stack about the frightening pickle jar scene from episode two, and I followed up by asking Lawler about the experience of shooting the sequence with the worm eyes. Lawler began by saying that the show’s choice of horror was incredibly effective, because Marge’s character has a very specific fear.

It was a really enjoyable experience filming, but definitely a unique one. Marge is going through a period of deep insecurity when we first meet her, and her glasses are a major source of that. The script actually refers to them as ‘bugeye Mr. Magoo glasses’ because they make her eyes appear very large, and she’s been teased about them her whole life. Naturally, the villain exploits this insecurity.

Her glasses make her eyes appear large, but that’s nothing compared to how much her eyes actually protrude – they look disturbingly like swollen snail eyes. It’s a particularly unsettling example of the game’s frightening design.

The scene wasn’t created entirely with computer-generated imagery; it actually involved a lot of practical special effects equipment. Lawler enjoyed contributing to the visual spectacle, though it did come with a few drawbacks.

Filming that project was a really unique experience. It lasted about a week and involved a lot of prosthetic makeup. We used several different pieces – one allowed me to see through cutouts, while another covered one of my eyes, making it difficult to navigate. Everything was very realistic and messy, and I kept stumbling around because of the prosthetics.

Matilda Lawler was lucky to have a very kind and considerate co-star in Arian S. Cartaya, who plays the fast-talking Rich Santos. The show suggests Rich secretly has a strong crush on Margot, and Arian seemed to draw on that feeling when he noticed Matilda was having some difficulty getting around on set. She went on to say,

I recall Arian [S. Cartaya] essentially acting as my chauffeur on set, always looking out for me – like when he stopped me from stepping somewhere dangerous. We really owe him for keeping me safe! It was a very intense shoot with a lot of blood and screaming, but I’m thrilled with how the special effects turned out. Seeing my vision come to life on screen was amazing.

The latest episode of IT: Welcome To Derry is fantastic! Out of the five episodes I’ve seen so far, this one – titled “Niebolt Street” – is the strongest. I can’t share details yet, but you’ll want to watch it as soon as it’s released to avoid spoilers. It airs this Sunday, November 23rd at 9pm Eastern/Pacific time on HBO and will be available to stream immediately on HBO Max.

1987’s The Running Man Screenwriter Sympathizes With The Remake’s Struggle To Execute Stephen King’s Ending

Last week, I made it pretty clear in my review – titled “The Running Man Massively Changes The Ending Of Stephen King’s Story, And WTF Was That?” – that I wasn’t a fan of the new ending to Edgar Wright’s The Running Man. I really appreciate how dark and hopeless Stephen King’s original 1982 novel is (especially the books he wrote as Richard Bachman), and I think the new version misses the point of the story. It’s sure to cause debate among King fans, but interestingly, the writer of the 1987 film adaptation actually understands where the new filmmakers are coming from.

Steven de Souza, known for films like 48 Hrs. and Die Hard, understands the difficulties of adapting The Running Man for the big screen – he faced similar issues when it was originally intended as a starring role for Arnold Schwarzenegger. He recently told The Hollywood Reporter that he sympathizes with screenwriters Edgar Wright and Michael Bacall’s struggles with the film’s ending. Having seen the negative reaction to the 2025 movie’s conclusion, he believes the ending worked better in the script.

I thought the ending worked well on paper, but even positive reviews mention it doesn’t quite land. It feels like the transition from the written story to the performance didn’t go smoothly this time, just like in the past.

The book concludes with Ben Richards discovering the tragic deaths of his wife and child, which occurred while he was competing on The Running Man. Consumed by fury, he crashes a plane into the Network’s main building. However, Edgar Wright’s recent adaptation, similar to the 1987 film, chooses a more optimistic outcome, allowing the hero to achieve revenge and live. De Souza acknowledges the difficulty of creating a high-budget film with a bleak ending, but expresses hope that someone will eventually succeed in doing so.

The book’s conclusion is depressing, so it needs to be rewritten. Both the 1987 and current versions change the ending similarly, but our version was more streamlined due to budget constraints. Hopefully, a future version released in 2045 will be more satisfying.

I’ll keep my fingers crossed, but if I’m being totally honest, I’m not all that optimistic.

At Long Last, The Life Of Chuck Has A Streaming Debut Date, And 1408 Is Getting A 4K UHD Upgrade

That’s all for this week’s King Beat! We have two quick updates regarding home video releases. First, Mike Flanagan’s The Life of Chuck, which came out in theaters this summer, will soon be available to stream. And for those who prefer physical copies, a remastered version of Mikael Håfström’s 1408 is coming soon.

I’ve been able to rent or buy The Life of Chuck digitally for a while now, and the 4K and Blu-ray versions came out a few months ago. But if you’ve been holding out for streaming, the wait is almost over! Disney just announced that it’ll be available on Hulu starting Friday, December 26th. So, just a few more weeks to go!

The 2007 thriller 1408, starring John Cusack, has been available on Blu-ray for a while, but it’s getting an upgrade to 4K UHD early next year. Plus, Lionsgate is releasing a special Steelbook edition with unique artwork. You can pre-order it now on Amazon before its release on January 13th.

That’s all for this week’s King Beat! And don’t worry, even though it’s Thanksgiving next Thursday, I’ll still be back with a new column to keep you updated on everything happening with Stephen King. Until then, you can check out our guide to all the upcoming Stephen King movies and TV shows to see what he’s working on!

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2025-11-20 20:46