It: Welcome to Derry fans think they’ve spotted a reference to forgotten Stephen King movie

It: Welcome to Derry has been hiding a few references to the wider Stephen King universe, but now fans think they’ve spotted another Easter egg for a forgotten horror classic based on the author’s work.

The show takes place 27 years before Pennywise faces off with the Loser’s Club for the first time in Andy Muschietti’s IT. It explores how the town came to be intertwined with the monstrous clown, and how his hunts have led to some of the most devastating events in the history of Derry.

It uses the interludes of King’s original book to flesh out the backstory of the clown, and even bridges the gap to movies like The Shining with the appearance of Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk). One theory also suggests that a future episode might even connect to The Mist, but the outcome still remains a mystery.

But eagle eyed fans think they’ve found another reference to a forgotten Stephen King movie in It: Welcome to Derry Episode 4.

It: Welcome to Derry fans think Leroy Hanlon is driving Christine

Columbia Pictures

In the fourth episode, Leroy Hanlon (Jovan Adepo) drives his son, Will (Blake Cameron James), to go fishing in the Barrens, and fans think the car he owns is Christine, the killer car from the novel and movie of the same name.

One Reddit user wrote, “Is Leroy driving Christine?” before later replying, “I just saw the movie a couple of days ago and was like I know that car.”

The 1958 red Plymouth Fury is possessed by a supernatural force, and gets extremely attached to whoever owns her, and she kills anyone that she sees as a threat to her relationship with the driver. It’s essentially about a toxic relationship, but with a killer car. The book was published in 1983, and horror maestro John Carpenter directed the movie adaptation, which was released the same year.

When another Reddit user commented that Christine’s potential appearance felt “shoehorned” into It: Welcome to Derry, someone else pointed out, “Actually, Christine IS in the IT novel too.” And book readers are correct, Christine is the car that the zombified Belch Huggins drives as he picks up Henry Bowers, who goes hunting for the Losers’ Club after they return to Derry.

But unfortunately, Christine isn’t the car in It: Welcome to Derry.

Leroy Hanlon drives a Ford Falcon in It: Welcome to Derry, not a Plymouth Fury

Brooke Palmer/HBO

Unfortunately, Hanlon doesn’t drive a Plymouth Fury in It: Welcome to Derry, he drives a Ford Falcon — as seen in the official image from the show that reveal a closer look at the car’s name.

However, it’s an easy mistake to make since both cars are roughly a similar shape, a similar red paint job and a white top. If anything it feels like a missed opportunity for it not to be a Plymouth Fury so it could be a sneaky Easter egg to Christine.

For now, the Hanlons’ red car will just have to be a moment of visual synergy for the King universe, a bit like when Bill Skarsgard appeared in the Castle Rock TV series, but not as Pennywise.

While you wait for It: Welcome to Derry Episode 5, check out which scene in the show scared Stephen King the most, discover the Derry Easter egg in The Running Man, and read about the best horror movies of 2025.