You Should Watch This Iconic Stephen King Film Prior to the Series' Next Episode
HBO's Welcome to Derry is filled with nods to Stephen King's wide-ranging library of stories. Beyond the obvious ties 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 story progresses, It: Welcome to Derry is integrating another classic King story that deserves another look.
The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
While The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically classified as a horror film, particularly in contrast with a lot of the author's additional work, it remains a gripping tale about an innocently imprisoned man sentenced to spend the rest of his life in a infamous penitentiary. It is that very penitentiary that becomes important in this context, since Shawshank State Prison possesses significant history across King's stories — a pattern that continues within Welcome to Derry.
Among the tales which mention the prison are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Through these narratives, we learn about the terrible conditions at Shawshank State Prison plus several of the inmates within, such as the partner of one belonging to Pennywise's early targets, who was found guilty for robbery with a weapon.
So far, however, the most we've learned about the prison has been through the eyes of the protagonist in The Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by Tim Robbins in the 1994 movie. The character Andy winds up at the prison following his wrongful conviction, then finds himself beaten and raped by other prisoners, and taken advantage of by those in authority figures due to his financial knowledge. He requires him 28 years to dig an escape route from Shawshank, prior to crawling "through a river of shit" to reclaim his liberty.
Shawshank's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry
Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, viewers first learned about the prison's inclusion from an early trailer for the show, in which a prison bus was seen bearing the title displayed on its side. During the second episode, we learn which character is probably destined for Shawshank.
Though we know he was not commit the child deaths in the first episode, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. A teaser for episode 3, "Now You See It," reveals an officer informing Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what happens to kiddie killers at that prison?"
The Consequences for the Character and His Daughter
Considering that the real murderer in Derry is an ancient power from another world preying on and murdering kids, Hank's chances of proving his innocence do not look good. And even if he does go to Shawshank and the audience don't follow him there, knowing what we do about that prison indicates that his experience would be far from pleasant.
Crucially, though, this situation would endanger Ronnie. Hank is her protector. Horrible things are happening in the town that nobody, young or old, comprehends and Ronnie only has her recently formed circle of pals to depend on. She will require her father as the story progresses, but if Shawshank plays a role, she could be without help.
A single fact is apparent: Hank doesn’t have three decades to tunnel to freedom.
It: Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are currently available via the streaming service. New episodes air weekly on Sundays.
