Don't Miss This Iconic Stephen King Movie Prior to the Series' Upcoming Installment
HBO's Welcome to Derry contains numerous references to Stephen King's vast library of stories. Apart from the obvious ties to the original story, the show includes an explicit connection to The Shining via the cameo of a young Dick Hallorann. Currently, as the narrative unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in one more classic tale from King which merits a revisit.
The Haunting Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
Although The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically considered horror, especially compared to much of the author's additional writing, it is a gripping story about an wrongfully convicted man sentenced to live his remaining years in a notorious penitentiary. It is that very penitentiary that becomes central here, as Shawshank State Prison possesses considerable lore across King's fictional world — a pattern that continues within It: Welcome to Derry.
Among the tales which mention the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these narratives, we discover regarding the awful life inside the state penitentiary and some of those imprisoned within, such as the boyfriend of a of Pennywise's early targets, who was found guilty of armed robbery.
So far, however, the most we have discovered about the prison was via the eyes of Andy Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption, played by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. The character Andy ends up in Shawshank following his wrongful conviction, then finds himself assaulted and abused by fellow inmates, while taken advantage of by those in authority figures due to his expertise in finance. It takes him 28 years to tunnel an escape route 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 inclusion via an early trailer for the series, where a prison bus appeared bearing the title displayed on its side. In episode 2, we learn which character is likely destined for Shawshank.
Though it is known he was not commit the murders of children initially, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. The preview for the next episode, "Now You See It," shows an officer telling Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what they do to child murderers at that prison?"
The Implications for the Character and Ronnie
Given that the actual killer in Derry is a primordial entity from another world preying on and killing kids, Hank's chances of proving his innocence do not look good. And even if he does go to Shawshank and viewers don't follow him there, knowing what is known regarding Shawshank indicates that his time there would be far from pleasant.
Crucially, though, this development would endanger his daughter. Hank is her protector. Terrible events are occurring in the town that nobody, young or old, comprehends and she only has her recently formed circle of pals to depend on. She will require her father in the coming episodes, however should Shawshank has any say, she could be out of luck.
One thing seems clear: Hank doesn’t have three decades to tunnel his way out.
It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available on HBO Max. New episodes air weekly each Sunday.
