Pop Culture Headlines — IT Welcome to Derry Surprise Episode

This is Sideshow’s Pop Culture Headlines, for the stories you need to know and for the ones you might have missed! Read below for today’s headlines from the world of geek news, or listen to a more in-depth version on Alexa, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platforms.

If you like what you hear, be sure to leave us a 5-star review so we can continue to bring you up-to-date pop culture news!

Lauren Tsai Collabs with My Chemical Romance

My Chemical Romance and Lauren Tsai released an animated short film entitled “Prelude to The End”. “Prelude to The End” stars Billie Eilish with additional voices from John C. McGinley, Phoebe Bridgers, and Hideo Kojima. This UNREAL INC. Production celebrates the 20th anniversary of The Black Parade album with an original story and art by Lauren Tsai. 

Welcome to Derry Drops a Surprise Halloween Episode

To celebrate Halloween, HBO Max dropped a surprise additional episode of IT: Welcome to Derry. “A Story of Derry” is a prequel which explores the origins of the monster known as IT or Pennywise. This half-hour special is available to stream now, ahead of Welcome to Derry Season 2. There is no additional information about Season 2 at this time.

Final Fantasy XIV Trailer

Square Enix released the full trailer for Final Fantasy XIV: Evercold, exploring the lore-rich past in a world of relentless ice. Pre-orders for the game begin in two days on November 4, 2026. Evercold launches February 23, 2027. 

Ethel Cain Joins the Werwulf Soundtrack

Songwriter and musician Ethel Cain is set to release an original song for the upcoming folk horror film WERWULF. Cain has written “Wynter Waxeth” in collaboration with composer Robin Carolan and filmmaker/director Robert Eggers. The song releases on November 13, while WERWULF will premiere in theaters this Christmas.