If you've seen this week's episode of IT: Welcome to Derry then you'll know that the new series is digging deeper into the lore of Stephen King's horror epic.
Alongside the fallout of last week's terrifying cliffhanger, the ace new title sequence, and some fun Easter eggs from the Stephen King universe, you may be intrigued by the introduction of Chris Chalk's mysterious character, Dick Hallorann.
If that name sounds familiar to you, it's because you've almost certainly heard it before. Hallorann is a character not from IT, but from another King classic: The Shining. He has appeared on screen before, too, in Stanley Kubrick's legendary film adaptation, where the character was played by the actor and musician Scatman Crothers, and by Carl Lumbly in Doctor Sleep.
But who is Dick Hallorann? And what is he doing in Welcome to Derry? Let's dig into it a bit more – after this spoiler warning.
Who is Dick Hallorann?
Dick's first – and main – appearance is in King's classic 1977 novel, The Shining. In that book, Hallorann is operating as the head chef of the remote Overlook Hotel. He is leaving for the winter when he meets the hotel's new caretaker, Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson's character in the Kubrick film), and his family. He's particularly interested in Jack's son Danny when he realizes that they both share the same psychic power – the "Shining" of the title. Hallorann is well aware at this point of the evil forces that infest the Overlook, and he warns Danny to be careful.
After everything goes horribly wrong, as it tends to do in Stephen King stories, Danny contacts Hallorann and asks for his help. Dick makes it back to the hotel and helps rescue Danny and his mom, Wendy, though Jack, who is under the thrall of the spirits in the Overlook, is killed.
Dick's role is one of the biggest divergences between the book and the film version of The Shining. In the movie, we see him struggling to get back to the Overlook in time to save Danny. He eventually gets there, only to be immediately murdered by Jack. It's a brilliant twist that puts the onus of saving the day back on Danny and Wendy.
Does Dick Hallorann feature in IT?
Dick is next mentioned in 1986's IT, and it's here that his connection to the events in Derry is firmly established. We learn that The Black Spot – a bar catering to African-American soldiers – was founded by the young Hallorann and his friends in the 1930s (in the book timeline), quickly becoming a popular night spot in Derry.
Alas, the bar was destroyed in an arson attack by racist hate group The Maine Legion of White Decency (described in the book as "the Northerners' version of the Ku Klux Klan"). When that happened, the 19-year-old Hallorann was able to use his powers to find and save survivors, including Will Hanlon, who is played by Blake Cameron James in IT: Welcome to Derry, and whose son Mike will eventually face and help defeat Pennywise in the mid-80s (in the book timeline) and in 2016 in the movies.
The third – and so far final – appearance of Dick Hallorann in King's books comes in Doctor Sleep, a direct sequel to The Shining. In this, he has remained friends with Danny and Wendy Torrance, teaching the young Danny how to defend himself from spirits. Some years later, the older Danny tries to contact Dick again, only to learn that he died in 1999, though his spirit is able to communicate with Danny once more.
So that's Dick Hallorann, the psychic soldier who saved lives and was able to fight ghosts. Episode 2 doesn't give much away about the role that he will play in Welcome to Derry, but we can assume that his psychic abilities will factor in somehow. It's also fascinating that the show is so directly connected to another part of Stephen King's elaborate multiverse.
IT: Welcome to Derry airs on HBO every Sunday at 9pm PT/ET. Episode 2 was made available to stream on HBO Max earlier, on October 31, in honor of Halloween. Stay up to date on new episodes with our Welcome to Derry release schedule.
