Don't Miss This Classic Stephen King Film Before the Series' Upcoming Installment
HBO's It: Welcome to Derry is packed with references to Stephen King's wide-ranging collection of tales. Beyond the clear links to the original story, the series also features a direct link to King's famous novel through the appearance of a young future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Currently, as the narrative progresses, It: Welcome to Derry is integrating one more beloved King story which merits a revisit.
The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
Although Shawshank Redemption may not be considered a horror film, especially compared to a lot of King's other work, it is a gripping story about an wrongfully convicted man sentenced to spend his remaining years in a infamous penitentiary. It is that very penitentiary which is central in this context, since the Shawshank facility possesses significant lore throughout King's fictional world — a tradition which persists within It: Welcome to Derry.
Some of the stories which mention Shawshank include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Through these narratives, we discover regarding the awful life inside the state penitentiary and some of those imprisoned within, such as the boyfriend of a belonging to Pennywise's initial targets, who had been found guilty of armed robbery.
Thus far, though, the most we've learned concerning Shawshank was via the perspective of Andy Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. The character Andy winds up at the prison after his wrongful conviction, then finds himself assaulted and abused by other prisoners, and taken advantage of by those in authority figures due to his expertise in finance. He requires nearly three decades to tunnel his way out from Shawshank, before crawling "through a river of shit" to reclaim his freedom.
Shawshank's Appearance in Welcome to Derry
In relation to the series, viewers initially discovered about the prison's involvement via an early trailer for the series, in which a prison bus was seen bearing the title displayed on its side. In episode 2, it is revealed who is likely headed to Shawshank.
Though it is known 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. A teaser for episode 3, "the upcoming installment," shows an officer telling a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what happens to child murderers at that prison?"
The Consequences for the Character and Ronnie
Considering that the real murderer in Derry is a primordial entity from another world hunting and murdering kids, Hank's prospects of clearing his name do not look good. And even if he ends up in the prison and the audience do not see him there, knowing what is known regarding Shawshank indicates that his experience would be far from pleasant.
Crucially, though, this development would endanger Ronnie. Hank is her protector. Horrible things are happening in the town which no one, child or adult, understands and Ronnie only has her new group of friends to depend on. She's going to need her dad in the coming episodes, however should Shawshank plays a role, she may be without help.
One thing seems clear: Hank doesn’t have 28 years to tunnel his way out.
Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available on HBO Max. Additional installments air weekly each Sunday.
