You Should Watch This Iconic Stephen King Movie Prior to the Series' Upcoming Installment
The series It: Welcome to Derry is packed with connections to Stephen King's vast library of stories. Apart from the obvious links to It, the show also features an explicit connection to The Shining through the appearance of the youthful future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Currently, as the narrative progresses, It: Welcome to Derry is integrating another classic King story which merits a revisit.
The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
Although Shawshank Redemption may not be considered a horror film, particularly in contrast with much of King's other work, it remains a gripping story of a wrongfully convicted man condemned to live his remaining years in a notorious penitentiary. It is that very penitentiary that becomes central here, since Shawshank State Prison holds considerable lore across King's fictional world — a tradition which persists within It: Welcome to Derry.
Among the stories which mention Shawshank are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these narratives, we discover about the awful life inside Shawshank State Prison plus several of the inmates within, including the partner of a belonging to Pennywise's early victims, who was convicted for robbery with a weapon.
Thus far, however, the majority we've learned about the prison has been through the perspective of Andy Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. Andy ends up at the prison following his wrongful conviction, then experiences assaulted and raped by fellow inmates, and taken advantage of by those in authority figures for his financial knowledge. He requires nearly three decades to tunnel his way out from Shawshank, before crawling "through a river of shit" to reclaim his liberty.
The Prison's Appearance in Welcome to Derry
Regarding the series, viewers initially discovered about the prison's involvement from an early trailer for the series, where a correctional transport was seen bearing the title displayed on its side. In episode 2, it is revealed who is probably headed to Shawshank.
Though we know he did not commit the child deaths in the first episode, the character Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. A teaser for episode 3, "the upcoming installment," reveals an officer telling Hank in his cell, "Do you know what happens to child murderers in Shawshank?"
The Consequences for the Character and His Daughter
Considering that the real killer in the town is a primordial entity originating elsewhere hunting and killing kids, Hank's prospects of proving his innocence appear slim. And even if he ends up in the prison and the audience do not see him there, knowing what we do regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his experience would be far from pleasant.
More importantly, though, this situation would endanger his daughter. He acts as her guardian. Horrible things are happening in the town that nobody, child or adult, understands and Ronnie just has her new group circle of pals to depend on. She will require her father in the coming episodes, however should the prison system has any say, she could be out of luck.
One thing is apparent: Hank doesn’t have three decades to dig to freedom.
It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available on HBO Max. New episodes are released each week on Sundays.
