Don't Miss This Classic Stephen King Film Prior to the Series' Next Episode
HBO's It: Welcome to Derry is packed with references to Stephen King's wide-ranging library of stories. Beyond the obvious ties to It, the series also features an explicit connection to King's famous novel through the cameo of the youthful Dick Hallorann. Now, as the narrative unfolds, Welcome to Derry is integrating one more classic tale from King which merits a revisit.
The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
While The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically considered a horror film, especially in contrast with much of the author's additional work, it is a haunting tale of a innocently imprisoned individual sentenced to live his remaining years in a notorious prison. It is this specific institution which is central here, since the Shawshank facility possesses considerable history throughout King's fictional world — a tradition that continues in Welcome to Derry.
Among the tales that reference the prison are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Through these stories, we discover regarding the terrible life inside the state penitentiary plus several of those imprisoned there, including the boyfriend of a of Pennywise's early victims, who had been found guilty for robbery with a weapon.
So far, though, the majority we have discovered concerning Shawshank was via the perspective of the protagonist in Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in the 1994 movie. The character Andy winds up at the prison after being wrongly convicted, and experiences beaten and abused by other prisoners, and exploited by those in officials in power due to his financial knowledge. He requires him 28 years to dig an escape route from Shawshank, before crawling "through a river of shit" to reclaim his liberty.
Shawshank's Appearance in Welcome to Derry
In relation to the series, viewers initially discovered of Shawshank's involvement from an early trailer for the series, in which a correctional transport was seen bearing the title painted on the side. During the second episode, it is revealed which character is probably headed to the prison.
Although we know he was not commit the child deaths in the first episode, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. A teaser for the next episode, "the upcoming installment," shows an officer informing a jailed Hank, "Do you know what happens to child murderers at that prison?"
The Implications for the Character and Ronnie
Given that the real murderer in the town is a primordial entity originating elsewhere hunting and murdering kids, Hank's chances of proving his innocence appear slim. Even should he does go to Shawshank and viewers don't follow him there, understanding what is known regarding Shawshank indicates that his experience would not be enjoyable.
Crucially, however, this development could threaten Ronnie. Hank is her guardian. Terrible events are happening around Derry which no one, child or adult, comprehends and Ronnie only has her new group of friends to rely on. She's going to need her father as the story progresses, but if Shawshank plays a role, she may be out of luck.
A single fact 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.
