Don't Miss One Classic Stephen King Movie Before the Series' Upcoming Installment
The series It: Welcome to Derry contains numerous connections to Stephen King's extensive collection of tales. Apart from the obvious links to the original story, the show includes a direct link to The Shining via the appearance of a young Dick Hallorann. Now, as the narrative progresses, Welcome to Derry is integrating another beloved King story that deserves a revisit.
The Powerful Story of The Shawshank Redemption
Although The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically classified as a horror film, particularly in contrast with much of the author's additional writing, it is a gripping tale about an innocently imprisoned man sentenced to spend his remaining years inside a infamous penitentiary. And it's that very penitentiary which is important here, as Shawshank State Prison holds significant lore across King's stories — a tradition which persists within It: Welcome to Derry.
Some of the stories that reference the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these stories, we discover regarding the awful life inside the state penitentiary and some of those imprisoned within, such as the partner of a belonging to Pennywise's early victims, who had been convicted of armed robbery.
Thus far, however, the majority we have discovered concerning Shawshank was via the eyes of Andy Dufresne in Shawshank Redemption, played by the actor Tim Robbins in that 1994 film. Andy winds up in Shawshank after being wrongly convicted, and experiences assaulted and abused by other prisoners, while exploited by those in officials in power for his financial knowledge. It takes him 28 years to tunnel an escape route from Shawshank, prior to making his way "through a river of shit" to take back his freedom.
Shawshank's Role in It: Welcome to Derry
Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, audiences first learned about the prison's involvement via an initial preview for the series, in which a prison bus appeared with the name displayed on its side. During the second episode, it is revealed which character is likely headed to Shawshank.
Although we know he was not responsible for the murders of children initially, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. A teaser for episode 3, "Now You See It," reveals a guard telling a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what happens to kiddie killers at that prison?"
The Implications for Hank and His Daughter
Considering that the real murderer in Derry is a primordial entity originating elsewhere hunting and killing children, Hank's chances of clearing his name do not look good. And even if he ends up to Shawshank and viewers don't follow him inside, knowing what we do regarding Shawshank indicates that his experience would not be pleasant.
Crucially, however, this development could threaten his daughter. He acts as her protector. Horrible things are occurring in the town which no one, young or old, comprehends and Ronnie only has her recently formed circle of pals to rely on. She's going to need her father in the coming episodes, but if the prison system plays a role, she may be out of luck.
One thing is apparent: Hank lacks 28 years to dig his way out.
Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are streaming now via the streaming service. New episodes are released each week each Sunday.
