You Should Watch One Legendary Stephen King Movie Before the Series' Upcoming Installment
HBO's It: Welcome to Derry contains numerous connections to Stephen King's wide-ranging collection of tales. Beyond the clear links to It, the show also features an explicit connection to The Shining through the cameo of the youthful future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Now, as the narrative unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in another classic King story that deserves a revisit.
The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
Although The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically considered a horror film, especially compared to a lot of the author's additional writing, it is a haunting story about an wrongfully convicted individual sentenced to spend his remaining years in a notorious penitentiary. It is this specific penitentiary which is central here, since Shawshank State Prison possesses considerable lore throughout King's stories — a tradition which persists in Welcome to Derry.
Some of the tales that reference Shawshank include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Through these stories, we discover about the terrible conditions inside Shawshank State Prison plus some of those imprisoned within, such as the boyfriend of one belonging to Pennywise's initial targets, who was found guilty for robbery with a weapon.
Thus far, however, the most we have discovered concerning Shawshank has been through the perspective of the protagonist from The Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in that 1994 film. The character Andy winds up at the prison after his wrongful conviction, then experiences assaulted and abused by other prisoners, and taken advantage of by the officials in power due to his financial knowledge. He requires him 28 years to dig an escape route of the prison, before making his way "through a river of shit" to take back his freedom.
Shawshank's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry
In relation to the series, viewers initially discovered of Shawshank's inclusion from an early trailer for the show, where a correctional transport was seen bearing the title displayed on its side. In episode 2, it is revealed which character is probably headed to Shawshank.
Although we know he did not commit the murders of children initially, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for the crimes. A teaser for episode 3, "the upcoming installment," shows a guard informing Hank in his cell, "Do you know what they do to child murderers in Shawshank?"
The Implications for the Character and His Daughter
Given that the real murderer in Derry is a primordial entity from another world preying on and murdering kids, Hank's chances of proving his innocence appear slim. And even if he ends up to Shawshank and the audience do not see him there, understanding what is known about that prison makes it clear that his time there would be far from enjoyable.
More importantly, however, this situation could threaten Ronnie. Hank is her protector. Horrible things are occurring in the town which no one, child or adult, understands and she only has her recently formed of friends to depend on. She will require her dad in the coming episodes, but if the prison system has any say, she could be out of luck.
One thing seems clear: Hank doesn’t have 28 years to dig to freedom.
It: Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are currently available via the streaming service. Additional installments air weekly each Sunday.
