The work of Stephen King The next spin-off TV series, Welcome to Derry, has a lot to live up to, but it’s still one of the most beloved horror novels of all time. With scores of books and short tales in his bibliography—many of which have been adapted for television and film—King is among the most adaptable writers of all time. But not every King story is the same, and many of the adaptations have fallen short of the mark.

In particular, when King’s stories are taken and completely reimagined in new ways, going off book, like with The Lawnmower Man, or the recent Pet Sematary prequel, Pet Sematary: Bloodlines. For this reason, I’ve been sceptical and cautious about what to expect in the upcoming Welcome to Derry prequel series. However, movies like The Shining, which take the source material and create something new in the same spirit as the original, have been successful. And having seen the sizzle reel for Max’s upcoming releases, Welcome to Derry does appear to have a similar energy to It.