Make Time For One Iconic Stephen King Movie Prior to It: Welcome to Derry's Next Episode

HBO's It: Welcome to Derry is filled with nods to the author's vast library of stories. Apart from the obvious ties to the original story, the series includes a direct link to King's famous novel through the appearance of the youthful future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Currently, as the narrative unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in another beloved tale from King which merits a revisit.

The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption

Although The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically classified as a horror film, especially in contrast with a lot of the author's additional work, it is a haunting story about an wrongfully convicted individual sentenced to spend the rest of his life in a notorious prison. And it's that very institution that becomes important here, as the Shawshank facility possesses considerable history throughout King's stories — a pattern which persists in Welcome to Derry.

Some of the stories that reference Shawshank are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these stories, we learn about the awful conditions at Shawshank State Prison and several of the inmates within, such as the partner of a belonging to Pennywise's initial victims, who had been convicted of armed robbery.

Thus far, though, the majority we've learned concerning Shawshank has been via the eyes of the protagonist in The Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. The character Andy winds up in Shawshank after being wrongly convicted, and experiences beaten and abused by fellow inmates, while exploited by those in authority figures due to his financial knowledge. He requires him 28 years to tunnel an escape route of the prison, before making his way "through sewage" to take back his liberty.

The Prison's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry

In relation to the series, viewers first learned of Shawshank's inclusion from an early trailer for the show, in which a prison bus appeared bearing the title displayed on its side. In episode 2, it is revealed who is likely headed to Shawshank.

Though we know he did not commit the child deaths in the first episode, Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for those offenses. A teaser for episode 3, "Now You See It," shows a guard telling a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what they do to child murderers at that prison?"

The Consequences for Hank and His Daughter

Considering that the actual killer in the town is a primordial entity originating elsewhere hunting and killing children, Hank's prospects of proving his innocence do not look good. Even should he ends up to Shawshank and viewers do not see him there, knowing what we do regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his time there would not be pleasant.

More importantly, though, this development could threaten Ronnie. Hank is her guardian. Terrible events are happening in the town that nobody, child or adult, comprehends and she just has her recently formed circle of pals to depend on. She will require her dad in the coming episodes, but if the prison system has any say, she may be without help.

A single fact seems clear: Hank doesn’t have 28 years to tunnel his way out.

Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now via the streaming service. Additional installments are released each week each Sunday.