Don't Miss One Iconic Stephen King Movie Prior to the Series' Next Episode
The series It: Welcome to Derry contains numerous nods to the author's vast library of stories. Apart from the clear links to It, the show includes an explicit link to The Shining through the appearance of a young Dick Hallorann. Currently, as the narrative unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is integrating one more beloved tale from King that deserves another look.
The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
While Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as a horror film, particularly in contrast with much of the author's additional writing, it is a gripping story of a wrongfully convicted man sentenced to live the rest of his life in a notorious penitentiary. It is that very institution which is central in this context, since Shawshank State Prison possesses significant lore across King's stories — a pattern that continues within It: Welcome to Derry.
Among the stories which mention the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Through these stories, we discover regarding the awful life inside Shawshank State Prison and some of those imprisoned within, including the boyfriend of one of Pennywise's initial victims, who was found guilty of armed robbery.
Thus far, though, the most we have discovered about the prison was through the eyes of Andy Dufresne from The Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. Andy winds up in Shawshank after his wrongful conviction, then experiences assaulted and raped by fellow inmates, while taken advantage of by the officials in power due to his expertise in finance. It takes him 28 years to dig his way out from Shawshank, prior to making his way "through a river of shit" to take back his freedom.
Shawshank's Appearance in Welcome to Derry
Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, audiences first learned of Shawshank's involvement via an initial preview for the series, where a prison bus was seen bearing the title displayed on its side. During the second episode, it is revealed who is probably headed to Shawshank.
Although it is known he did 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 episode 3, "Now You See It," shows a guard telling a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what happens to child murderers at that prison?"
The Implications for Hank and His Daughter
Given that the actual murderer in the town is an ancient power from another world preying on and murdering children, Hank's chances of clearing his name appear slim. And even if he does go to Shawshank and viewers don't follow him inside, knowing what we do regarding Shawshank indicates that his experience would be far from pleasant.
More importantly, however, this situation could threaten Ronnie. Hank is her guardian. Terrible events are happening around Derry that nobody, young or old, understands and she just has her recently formed of friends to depend on. She's going to need her father in the coming episodes, but if the prison system plays a role, she may be without help.
A single fact seems clear: Hank lacks three decades to tunnel to freedom.
Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now via the streaming service. New episodes are released each week on Sundays.
