When Chris Chalk first appeared as Dick Hallorann in Episode 2 of HBO’s It: Welcome to Derry, dedicated horror fans immediately recognized the name from Stephen King’s The Shining. Episode 3 didn’t just nod to the classic; it confirmed the crucial connection by showing the young Black soldier demonstrating his powerful telekinetic abilities in a thrilling, terrifying sequence.
Chalk’s interpretation of Hallorann is a substantial departure from Scatman Crothers’ ill-fated incarnation in Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film. “Everything I do is going to have some dignity,” Chalk told Variety, and he injects that dignity with intense purpose throughout the series, further tying the massive Stephen King universe together.
The character of Dick Hallorann first appeared in King’s 1977 novel The Shining as a chef at the Overlook Hotel who shares the psychic ability, known as “the shining,” with young Danny Torrance. Hallorann plays a prominent role there and even reappears in the 2013 sequel, Doctor Sleep.
However, the character also makes a brief, easily missed appearance in the 1986 novel IT via a short flashback. Chalk himself admits the deep cut caught him off guard: “I didn’t remember any of that stuff in the book. I mean, the book has 3000 stories. It’s OK to forget some of it.”
Chalk’s Hallorann is often shown as physically present but psychologically absent, digging into another reality. To capture this complexity, Chalk focused on intentional breathing and involuntary tremors, grounding the psychic effort in reality.
He intentionally avoided studying previous on-screen performances, preferring to base his portrayal on real-world examples of people pushing psychic barriers through herbalism and various forms of mysticism across different cultures. “I won’t watch another movie because what’s the point? It’s just another person guessing,” Chalk says.
Audiences witness this intensity when Hallorann tries to push his abilities and sees the horrifying tower of Pennywise’s floating victims in his mind’s eye, first revealed in the IT movies. Visions of war and childhood violence flash through his psyche before he snaps back to reality, saved only when Hanlon pulls him back from falling out of the helicopter.
Episode 3 saw the young main characters attempt to raise Pennywise to capture proof of its existence, hoping to free Hank (Stephen Rider) from blame. Instead, the kids found themselves haunted by terrifying visions of the children murdered in the premiere.
Episode 4 of “It: Welcome to Derry” promises to feature more of Hallorann as he attempts a dangerous psychic search of a man’s mind. Simultaneously, the kids turn to the military, using their photographic evidence to try to secure Hank’s freedom.
Watch the first three episodes now on “Welcome to Derry,” on HBO MAX, and watch the episode four preview below.
