Don't Miss One Classic Stephen King Movie Prior to the Series' Next Episode
The series It: Welcome to Derry contains numerous connections to the author's vast universe of narratives. Apart from the obvious ties to the original story, the series includes an explicit connection to King's famous novel via the appearance of the youthful Dick Hallorann. Currently, as the story unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is integrating one more beloved King story that deserves another look.
The Powerful Story of The Shawshank Redemption
Although Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as a horror film, particularly compared to a lot of King's other writing, it is a gripping story of a innocently imprisoned man condemned to live his remaining years inside a infamous penitentiary. It is this specific institution which is important in this context, since the Shawshank facility possesses considerable lore throughout King's fictional world — a pattern that continues within It: Welcome to Derry.
Some of the tales which mention Shawshank are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these stories, we discover about the terrible conditions inside the state penitentiary plus some of the inmates there, such as the boyfriend of one of Pennywise's initial targets, who had been found guilty of armed robbery.
So far, however, the most we have discovered about the prison has been via the eyes of Andy Dufresne from The Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 movie. Andy winds up in Shawshank following being wrongly convicted, then finds himself assaulted and abused by fellow inmates, while exploited by those in officials in power due to his financial knowledge. It takes nearly three decades to dig an escape route of the prison, before crawling "through a river of shit" to reclaim his freedom.
The Prison's Role in It: Welcome to Derry
In relation to It: Welcome to Derry, viewers first learned of Shawshank's inclusion via an early trailer for the series, where a prison bus appeared with the name displayed on its side. In episode 2, it is revealed who is likely destined for Shawshank.
Though we know he was not commit the child deaths in the first episode, the character Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for those offenses. A teaser for the next episode, "the upcoming installment," reveals a guard informing Hank in his cell, "Do you know what they do to child murderers at that prison?"
The Consequences for the Character and His Daughter
Given that the actual killer in the town is an ancient power originating elsewhere preying on and killing kids, Hank's chances of clearing his name do not look good. And even if he does go in the prison and viewers don't follow him inside, knowing what is known regarding Shawshank indicates that his time there would be far from pleasant.
More importantly, though, this development could threaten his daughter. Hank is her protector. Terrible events are occurring in the town which no one, child or adult, comprehends and Ronnie only has her recently formed circle of pals to depend on. She's going to need her father in the coming episodes, but if the prison system has any say, she could be out of luck.
One thing is apparent: Hank lacks 28 years to tunnel to freedom.
It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are streaming now on HBO Max. Additional installments are released each week on Sundays.
