It: Welcome To Derry Reintroduces A Terrifying Stephen King Location

This post contains spoilers for "It: Welcome to Derry."

After the debut episode did an incredible job of assuring that absolutely no one is safe in this so far Pennywise-free prequel series, "It: Welcome To Derry" (read our full review here) is now in full swing in its second episode. Besides bringing in a new batch of characters that are highly likely not to see the end of this season, this earlier chapter in Pennywise's (Bill Skarsgård) reign of terror also brings it with it brand new but legendary landmarks in Stephen King's back catalog, which in this case is the Juniper Hill Asylum that Lily (Clara Stack) has a harrowing history with.

Following the traumatic trip to the theatre in last week's episode and talk of children being devoured by giant flying babies in that shocking twist, Lily's biggest fear is being sent back to the asylum and suffering the same mistreatment she endured following the horrific death of her father. Juniper Hill isn't a nightmare destination for just Lily, though, given that it's mentioned in up to 13 King stories, including "The Tommyknockers," "Gerald's Game," and "11/22/63" (all of which have been adapted for film or television). More importantly, we know that Juniper Hill manages to keep its doors open for another 50 or so years, given that one of the greatest adversaries of the Losers Club gets thrown in and eventually breaks out of the establishment in "It" and "It: Chapter Two," with the help of a red balloon and a flick knife — Henry Bowers.

It might look like Hell for Lily right now, but in just over two decades, Juniper Hill will become a home for school bully scumbag, Henry Bowers (played by Nicholas Hamilton and then Teach Grant as an adult in the 2017 and 2019 films), after his friends get picked off one by one when they head down into the sewers after the Losers. The traumatic experience at the end of "It: Chapter One" would see Bowers sent to Juniper Hill, where he'd be kept until the heroes returned to put Pennywise to rest 27 years later. In an effort to stop Bill and pals from succeeding, Pennywise went through special means to bust Bowers out and do his bidding. Unfortunately, that didn't go to plan, and instead, the Losers manage to kill Pennywise, once and for all.

There's no telling if Juniper Hill will end up playing as big a part in "It: Welcome to Derry" as the story that succeeds it. The only takeaway so far is one of dark irony with the disturbing spot, given that Henry's grandfather, Clint Bowers (Peter Outerbridge), is threatening Lily with the same place that would eventually house his grandson. In doing so, it would lead his family name to endure the very same level of scandal and town gossip that Lily is currently experiencing. But then, that's always the case with Derry and its townsfolk — history is doomed to repeat itself as long as a killer clown is present to cause some chaos.