You Should Watch This Legendary Stephen King Cinematic Prior to the Series' Next Episode
The series It: Welcome to Derry is filled with nods to Stephen King's wide-ranging library of stories. Beyond the obvious links to the original story, the show showcases an explicit link to The Shining via the cameo of the youthful future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Currently, as the narrative unfolds, Welcome to Derry is integrating one more beloved tale from King which merits a revisit.
The Powerful Story of The Shawshank Redemption
While The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically considered a horror film, particularly in contrast with a lot of the author's additional work, it is a gripping tale about an wrongfully convicted man sentenced to spend his remaining years in a notorious prison. It is this specific penitentiary that becomes important here, as Shawshank State Prison possesses significant lore across King's stories — a tradition that continues in Welcome to Derry.
Among the stories that reference the prison are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these stories, we learn regarding the terrible life at the state penitentiary and several of the inmates within, such as the partner of a of Pennywise's early victims, who was found guilty of armed robbery.
So far, however, the majority we have discovered concerning Shawshank was through the eyes of Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in that 1994 film. The character Andy winds up at the prison following being wrongly convicted, then finds himself beaten and raped by fellow inmates, and exploited by the officials in power for his expertise in finance. He requires nearly three decades to dig an escape route of the prison, prior to making his way "through a river of shit" to reclaim his liberty.
Shawshank's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry
Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, audiences first learned about the prison's involvement from an early trailer for the series, where a prison bus was seen bearing the title painted on the side. In episode 2, it is revealed who is likely destined for Shawshank.
Although it is known he was not commit the murders of children initially, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. The preview for the next episode, "Now You See It," shows an officer informing a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what they do to child murderers at that prison?"
The Implications for the Character and His Daughter
Given that the actual murderer in the town is a primordial entity originating elsewhere hunting and killing kids, Hank's chances of proving his innocence appear slim. Even should he ends up in the prison and the audience don't follow him there, knowing what we do regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his time there would not be pleasant.
Crucially, though, this situation would endanger Ronnie. Hank is her protector. Terrible events are occurring in the town which no one, young or old, comprehends and Ronnie just has her recently formed of friends to rely on. She will require her father as the story progresses, but if Shawshank has any say, she could be out of luck.
A single fact seems clear: Hank doesn’t have three decades to dig to freedom.
It: Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now on HBO Max. Additional installments air weekly on Sundays.