Don't Miss One Iconic Stephen King Cinematic Prior to the Series' Upcoming Installment
The series It: Welcome to Derry is packed with connections to Stephen King's wide-ranging library of stories. Beyond the obvious links to the original story, the series showcases a direct connection to The Shining through the cameo of a young future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Now, as the narrative progresses, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in another classic tale from King that deserves a revisit.
The Haunting Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
While Shawshank Redemption isn't typically classified as a horror film, especially in contrast with a lot of King's other work, it remains a gripping tale of a wrongfully convicted man sentenced to live his remaining years in a notorious prison. It is this specific penitentiary which is important in this context, as the Shawshank facility holds significant lore throughout King's fictional world — a pattern which persists in Welcome to Derry.
Among the tales that reference Shawshank are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these narratives, we learn regarding the terrible life inside the state penitentiary plus some of those imprisoned within, such as the partner of a belonging to Pennywise's early victims, who had been found guilty for robbery with a weapon.
So far, though, the majority we have discovered about the prison has been via the eyes of Andy Dufresne from The Shawshank Redemption, played by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. Andy winds up in Shawshank following being wrongly convicted, then experiences assaulted and abused by other prisoners, and exploited by those in authority figures for his financial knowledge. It takes nearly three decades to dig his way out of the prison, prior to making his way "through a river of shit" to reclaim his freedom.
The Prison's Role in Welcome to Derry
In relation to It: Welcome to Derry, viewers first learned of Shawshank's involvement via an early trailer for the series, in which a correctional transport was seen with the name painted on the side. During the second episode, we learn who is probably headed to the prison.
Though we know he was not responsible for the murders of children initially, Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for those offenses. A teaser for episode 3, "Now You See It," reveals a guard telling Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what they do to child murderers in Shawshank?"
The Consequences for Hank and Ronnie
Considering that the real killer in the town is a primordial entity from another world preying on and murdering kids, Hank's chances of clearing his name appear slim. And even if he ends up to Shawshank and viewers don't follow him there, knowing what we do regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his experience would be far from enjoyable.
More importantly, however, this situation would endanger Ronnie. He acts as her protector. Terrible events are occurring around Derry which no one, young or old, understands and she just has her new group of friends to depend on. She will require her father as the story progresses, however should Shawshank plays a role, she could be without help.
A single fact seems clear: Hank doesn’t have 28 years to tunnel to freedom.
Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are currently available on HBO Max. Additional installments air weekly on Sundays.
