Don't Miss This Legendary Stephen King Film Prior to the Series' Upcoming Installment
The series It: Welcome to Derry is filled with references to Stephen King's vast universe of narratives. Beyond the obvious links to It, the series showcases an explicit connection to King's famous novel through the appearance of the youthful future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Currently, as the story progresses, It: Welcome to Derry is integrating one more beloved tale from King which merits another look.
The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption
Although Shawshank Redemption isn't typically classified as a horror film, especially compared to much of the author's additional writing, it is a haunting story about an innocently imprisoned individual condemned to spend the rest of his life in a infamous prison. It is this specific institution that becomes central here, since the Shawshank facility possesses significant lore across King's stories — a pattern that continues in Welcome to Derry.
Some of the tales which mention the prison are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Through these stories, we learn regarding the terrible life inside Shawshank State Prison and several of the inmates there, such as the boyfriend of a belonging to Pennywise's early targets, who was convicted of armed robbery.
Thus far, though, the majority we have discovered concerning Shawshank has been via the perspective of the protagonist from The Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. The character Andy ends up in Shawshank after being wrongly convicted, and finds himself beaten and abused by other prisoners, while exploited by those in authority figures for his expertise in finance. It takes him 28 years to tunnel an escape route from Shawshank, prior to crawling "through a river of shit" to reclaim his freedom.
The Prison's Appearance in Welcome to Derry
In relation to It: Welcome to Derry, audiences first learned about the prison's involvement via an initial preview for the series, where a correctional transport appeared bearing the title painted on the side. In episode 2, we learn who is likely headed to Shawshank.
Although we know he was not commit the child deaths in the first episode, Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. The preview for the next episode, "Now You See It," shows an officer informing a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what they do to child murderers at that prison?"
The Implications for the Character and His Daughter
Considering that the actual killer in the town is an ancient power originating elsewhere preying on and murdering kids, Hank's chances of clearing his name do not look good. Even should he does go in the prison and viewers do not see him inside, understanding what is known regarding Shawshank indicates that his time there would be far from enjoyable.
More importantly, though, this situation could threaten Ronnie. Hank is her protector. Terrible events are occurring in the town which no one, child or adult, understands and she only has her new group circle of pals to depend on. She will require her father in the coming episodes, however should Shawshank has any say, she may be out of luck.
A single fact seems clear: Hank doesn’t have three decades to dig his way out.
It: Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are currently available on HBO Max. Additional installments are released each week on Sundays.
