You Should Watch One Iconic Stephen King Film Before the Series' Upcoming Installment
HBO's It: Welcome to Derry is filled with references to Stephen King's wide-ranging collection of tales. Apart from the clear links to the original story, the show also features an explicit link to King's famous novel through the appearance of a young future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Now, as the narrative progresses, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in another classic King story that deserves another look.
The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
Although The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically considered horror, particularly compared to much of King's other work, it remains a haunting story about an wrongfully convicted man sentenced to live the rest of his life in a notorious penitentiary. And it's this specific penitentiary that becomes important here, since Shawshank State Prison holds considerable history across King's fictional world — a tradition that continues in Welcome to Derry.
Among the stories that reference Shawshank include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these stories, we discover regarding the awful conditions at Shawshank State Prison plus several of the inmates within, including the boyfriend of a of Pennywise's initial victims, who had been found guilty of armed robbery.
So far, though, the majority we have discovered concerning Shawshank was through the perspective of Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. Andy ends up at the prison following being wrongly convicted, then finds himself assaulted and abused by other prisoners, while taken advantage of by those in officials in power due to his expertise in finance. He requires nearly three decades to dig his way out of the prison, before crawling "through a river of shit" to reclaim his liberty.
Shawshank's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry
Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, audiences first learned about the prison's inclusion via an early trailer for the show, in which a correctional transport appeared with the name painted on the side. In episode 2, it is revealed which character is probably headed to Shawshank.
Though we know he was not responsible for the child deaths initially, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for the crimes. A teaser for the next episode, "Now You See It," shows a guard telling Hank in his cell, "Do you know what happens to child murderers at that prison?"
The Implications for the Character and His Daughter
Considering that the real killer in Derry is an ancient power from another world hunting and murdering children, Hank's prospects of proving his innocence do not look good. Even should he does go in the prison and viewers do not see him there, understanding what is known regarding Shawshank indicates that his time there would be far from enjoyable.
Crucially, though, this development could threaten his daughter. He acts as her protector. Terrible events are happening in the town that nobody, young or old, comprehends and Ronnie only has her new group circle of pals to rely on. She will require her father in the coming episodes, however should the prison system plays a role, she could be without help.
One thing seems clear: Hank doesn’t have three decades to dig to freedom.
Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available via the streaming service. Additional installments are released each week on Sundays.
