Don't Miss One Legendary Stephen King Movie Prior to the Series' Upcoming Installment
HBO's Welcome to Derry is filled with connections to Stephen King's wide-ranging universe of narratives. Apart from the obvious links to It, the show includes an explicit connection to The Shining through the cameo of a young future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Now, as the story unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in another classic King story which merits a revisit.
The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption
Although The Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as a horror film, especially compared to much of King's other work, it remains a gripping tale of a innocently imprisoned individual condemned to live his remaining years in a infamous penitentiary. And it's this specific institution that becomes important in this context, as Shawshank State Prison possesses significant lore across King's fictional world — a pattern that continues within It: Welcome to Derry.
Some of the stories which mention Shawshank are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these stories, we learn regarding the terrible life inside the state penitentiary plus some of the inmates there, such as the boyfriend of one belonging to Pennywise's early victims, who was found guilty of armed robbery.
Thus far, however, the majority we've learned about the prison was through the perspective of Andy Dufresne from The Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in that 1994 film. Andy winds up at the prison following being wrongly convicted, and finds himself beaten and raped by fellow inmates, and exploited by those in officials in power for his financial knowledge. It takes him 28 years to dig an escape route from Shawshank, prior to crawling "through a river of shit" to reclaim his liberty.
Shawshank's Role in Welcome to Derry
Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, audiences first learned of Shawshank's inclusion from an early trailer for the series, in which a prison bus was seen with the name displayed on its side. During the second episode, we learn who is likely headed to the prison.
Although we know he was not commit the murders of children in the first episode, Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for those offenses. A teaser for the next episode, "Now You See It," reveals a guard informing Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what they do to child murderers at that prison?"
The Implications for the Character and Ronnie
Considering that the real murderer in Derry is an ancient power from another world preying on and killing kids, Hank's chances of clearing his name appear slim. And even if he does go to Shawshank and viewers do not see him inside, understanding what is known about that prison makes it clear that his experience would not be pleasant.
Crucially, however, this development would endanger Ronnie. He acts as her guardian. Horrible things are occurring in the town which no one, child or adult, understands and she just has her new group of friends to rely on. She will require her father in the coming episodes, but if the prison system has any say, she may be out of luck.
One thing seems clear: Hank lacks three decades to dig to freedom.
Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are currently available on HBO Max. New episodes are released each week each Sunday.
