What are the Deadlights? Connection to Pennywise analyzed from the latest episode of IT: Welcome to Derry season 1

The newest episode of IT: Welcome to Derry, Season 1, shows one of the most feared parts of Stephen King’s universe, the Deadlights.

Episode 7, "The Black Spot," provides the clearest glimpse yet into how the Deadlights operate and their connection to Pennywise. 

The story follows the tragic burning of the Black Spot nightclub and shows how this violence triggers a major turning point in Pennywise’s cycle. 

The Shokopiwah tribe calls this moment the augury, a sign that Pennywise is ready to enter hibernation after feeding on fear.

But before it rests, IT claims two more victims.

Ingrid Kersh and young Will Hanlon come face-to-face with the Deadlights. 

These bright orange-yellow lights come from a different dimension called the Macroverse, where Pennywise’s true form exists. 

While the clown shape is only a mask, the Deadlights are the creature’s real essence. 

Anyone who sees them can fall into a trance, lose control of their mind or even have their soul trapped.

The episode shows Ingrid realizing Pennywise is not the father figure she imagined. 

When she confronts the clown, it opens its head and exposes the Deadlights, leaving her floating and powerless. 

Will Hanlon also sees the lights during a terrifying attack at home after Pennywise is suddenly awakened early. 

Fans already know Will survives because he becomes Mike Hanlon’s father, but the scene still shows how dangerous the Deadlights are. 

Episode 7 uses these moments to build a direct line between Pennywise’s true form and the events that will lead to the finale.

Episode 7 recap and what to expect from Episode 8 of IT: Welcome to Derry Season 1

Episode 7 focuses on the burning of the Black Spot and the emotional fallout that follows. 

Vigilantes destroy the nightclub, and the chaos creates the fear Pennywise needs to complete the cycle called “the augury.” 

Ingrid Kersh plays a key role in the events, as she believes Pennywise is still her father, Bob Gray. 

Her need to please him leads her to call in the report that brings danger to the club. 

But when Pennywise kills her husband without hesitation, she realizes she has been used. 

Her confrontation leads to one of the most haunting images of the season as the Deadlights hit her.

The episode also reveals that Pennywise is awakened early when the military removes one of the pillars that keep it trapped. 

General Shaw earlier said the government wanted to weaponize the entity, but Episode 7 shows their plan was deeper than that. 

Once the pillar is destroyed, Pennywise rises and attacks young Will Hanlon. 

This attack ends Episode 7 on a tense note and pushes viewers toward the finale.

Episode 8, airing Sunday, December 14 at 6 p.m. PT and 9 p.m. ET on HBO Max, will close the 1965 storyline. 

It will likely reveal what happens to Ingrid, expose Will’s condition, and outline the military’s next move. 

Episode 8 also sets up Season 2, which will shift to 1935, and Season 3, which is expected to explore events before 1908.