Right now, I am stalled at the end of the first episode of "IT: Welcome to Derry" (HBO Max), where Stephen King's homicidal harlequin Pennywise springs to bloody life, bit by bit. The AI and what feels like extreme gore are off-putting to me as I watch, even as a long-time horror fan. "Story before gore" appeals to me as a reader's or voyeur's mantra. But, perversely perhaps, as a writerly exercise, immersion in that flow — a visceral blood tide of language one births herself — has its pull. As a big "Shining" fan, I'd definitely like to know how Halloran fits in. So maybe I'll give "IT" another go.