It – Welcome to Derry’s shocking birth scene mixes practical and digital effects
The team behind It: Welcome to Derry combined physical props with digital enhancements to create the horror series’ opening scene featuring a demon baby birth inside a vehicle. Visual effects supervisor Daryl Sawchuk and prosthetics supervisor Sean Sansom built practical elements such as fake legs, body rigs, and multiple baby versions before adding computer-generated blood and movement in postproduction. The production used LED volume walls from The Mandalorian to provide realistic lighting while keeping car doors closed for filming.
Director Andy Muschietti provided detailed storyboards and design concepts, enabling departments to collaborate effectively on the sequence. Sansom worked with the Muschietti siblings on previous It films and understood their visual approach. The blended technique makes it difficult to distinguish between practical and digital effects in the final product. Audiences increasingly prefer tangible effects over computer graphics because physical elements age better and help actors deliver convincing performances.
