You Should Watch This Legendary Stephen King Film Prior to the Series' Upcoming Installment
The series It: Welcome to Derry is packed with connections to Stephen King's extensive library of stories. Beyond the clear ties to It, the series includes a direct link to King's famous novel via the cameo of a young Dick Hallorann. Now, as the narrative unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in another beloved King story which merits a revisit.
The Powerful Story of The Shawshank Redemption
While Shawshank Redemption isn't typically classified as a horror film, particularly compared to much of the author's additional work, it remains a gripping story about an innocently imprisoned man sentenced to live his remaining years in a infamous prison. And it's that very penitentiary which is central here, since Shawshank State Prison possesses significant lore throughout King's stories — a tradition that continues within It: Welcome to Derry.
Among the tales which mention Shawshank are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Through these narratives, we discover about the awful life at the state penitentiary and several of those imprisoned within, such as the boyfriend of a belonging to Pennywise's initial victims, who had been convicted for robbery with a weapon.
So far, however, the most we have discovered concerning Shawshank was via the perspective of Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption, played by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 movie. Andy winds up at the prison following being wrongly convicted, and finds himself assaulted and raped by other prisoners, and exploited by the officials in power due to his expertise in finance. It takes him 28 years to dig his way out of the prison, before making his way "through sewage" to reclaim his liberty.
Shawshank's Role in Welcome to Derry
In relation to the series, audiences first learned of Shawshank's inclusion from an initial preview for the series, where a prison bus was seen bearing the title displayed on its side. During the second episode, it is revealed who is likely destined for Shawshank.
Though we know he was not responsible for the child deaths initially, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for the crimes. The preview for episode 3, "Now You See It," reveals a guard informing Hank in his cell, "Do you know what they do to kiddie killers in Shawshank?"
The Implications for Hank and Ronnie
Considering that the real murderer in Derry is an ancient power originating elsewhere hunting and murdering kids, Hank's prospects of proving his innocence do not look good. Even should he does go in the prison and viewers don't follow him there, knowing what we do regarding Shawshank indicates that his time there would not be enjoyable.
More importantly, though, this situation would endanger his daughter. He acts as her guardian. Horrible things are happening around Derry that nobody, young or old, comprehends and Ronnie only has her recently formed circle of pals to depend on. She will require her father as the story progresses, but if Shawshank plays a role, she could be without help.
A single fact seems clear: Hank doesn’t have three decades to dig to freedom.
It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available on HBO Max. Additional installments are released each week on Sundays.