Make Time For One Legendary Stephen King Movie Prior to It: Welcome to Derry's Next Episode
The series It: Welcome to Derry contains numerous references to Stephen King's extensive library of stories. Beyond the obvious ties to It, the show includes a direct connection to The Shining via the appearance of a young Dick Hallorann. Currently, as the story unfolds, Welcome to Derry is integrating one more classic King story that deserves a revisit.
The Haunting Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
Although Shawshank Redemption isn't typically considered a horror film, especially compared to a lot of King's other work, it is a haunting tale about an innocently imprisoned individual sentenced to spend the rest of his life inside a infamous prison. And it's that very institution that becomes important here, as the Shawshank facility holds considerable lore across King's stories — a pattern that continues in It: Welcome to Derry.
Among the tales which mention Shawshank include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Through these stories, we discover about the awful conditions at Shawshank State Prison plus some of those imprisoned there, such as the partner of a belonging to Pennywise's initial victims, who had been convicted for robbery with a weapon.
So far, however, the majority we've learned concerning Shawshank has been via the eyes of the protagonist from The Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. The character Andy ends up in Shawshank after being wrongly convicted, and finds himself beaten and abused by fellow inmates, while exploited by the authority figures due to his financial knowledge. It takes him 28 years to tunnel his way out from Shawshank, prior to making his way "through sewage" to reclaim his liberty.
The Prison's Appearance in Welcome to Derry
In relation to It: Welcome to Derry, viewers first learned about the prison's inclusion from an early trailer for the show, where a prison bus was seen bearing the title displayed on its side. During the second episode, we learn who is likely headed to Shawshank.
Although we know he did not commit the murders of children in the first episode, the character Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for those offenses. The preview for the next episode, "Now You See It," shows a guard telling Hank in his cell, "Do you know what they do to child murderers in Shawshank?"
The Consequences for Hank and His Daughter
Considering that the real killer in Derry is a primordial entity from another world preying on and murdering children, Hank's chances of proving his innocence appear slim. Even should he ends up in the prison and viewers do not see him there, knowing what is known about that prison makes it clear that his time there would not be pleasant.
Crucially, though, this development would endanger his daughter. Hank is her protector. Terrible events are happening in the town which no one, young or old, understands and she just has her recently formed of friends to depend on. She will require her father in the coming episodes, however should the prison system plays a role, she could be out of luck.
One thing seems clear: Hank doesn’t have three decades to dig his way out.
Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are streaming now via the streaming service. Additional installments air weekly each Sunday.
