🔗 Share this article

Pennywise's impact on the children of the Derry series shapes them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the very adults who perpetuate the town's cycle of hatred ongoing. It preys most easily on kids from broken households — children who often mature to repeat the identical behaviors as their guardians. But, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as one of the few households that remains intact, which may explain why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in the town, remains the sole member who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.

Hanlon Household's Distinctive Resilience

In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes more aware of the paranormal entities enveloping the community, particularly when the entity begins tormenting his son, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family consists of some of the few grown-ups who are aware that something is amiss with the municipality, notably Leroy, who was revealed to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's use of it in episode 3. Later, Leroy spots one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his residence. The ability, coupled with his inability to experience terror, along with the foundation of his family, could be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and one of the reasons Mike is among the few individuals in the town who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

The boy is a member of the group of children at his school being terrorized by the clown. All his school friends come from broken homes, with parents who don't believe they're being haunted. The reason Will is being pursued is because of the viciousness of the town, paired with his likely receptiveness to shine, which renders him vulnerable. This family are ultimately outsiders in the town during 1962, which contributes towards the household sensing anomalies exist about the locality from the beginning. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that remains unbroken, in contrast to the folks who originate in the town, with relationships that have deteriorated within.

Backstory Connections

Based on the It novel, we understand the young Will Hanlon will end up at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will rescue him from a fire that the town bigots of the community will cause. In the recent film, we observe that Will has a boy named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a configration, with Leroy surviving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the motion picture is that the parents were on drugs, but now that we see him in the series, that's difficult to accept. Maybe the shy boy, once he grew up, leaned into alcohol to rid himself of the hauntings, or perhaps the rotten environment affected him first, with the KKK ultimately finishing the job it began long before. Whether through the fear of Pennywise or via the cruelty of the town, instigated by Pennywise, It in the end achieves the last laugh on him.

The Father's Evolution

This chain of events would clarify how the elder Hanlon changes so radically from what we see in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his later years, he appears resentful and much harsher with his parenting. Because he survived his own son, it's understandable to observe such a profound shift. However, his statements hold greater significance since we are aware he's witnessed the clown's activities and the effects they wrought upon his child. In the opening scene of It, we see Mike pause to use a bolt gun on a animal at the family property. His grandfather chastises him for hesitating and offers an metaphor that results in a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“There are two places you can be in this existence. You can be in the open like us, or you can be in there,” Leroy says as he points to the sheep. “You waste time hemming and hawing, and another is going to decide for you. Except you will be unaware it until you experience that projectile in your head.”

Looking back, this could be a bit of prediction, something he regrets not imparting to his own child. Perhaps he wishes he had done something in his past, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the repellent attraction of Derry.