You Should Watch This Legendary Stephen King Movie Prior to the Series' Next Episode
HBO's It: Welcome to Derry is filled with nods to Stephen King's wide-ranging library of stories. Apart from the clear links to the original story, the show includes a direct connection to King's famous novel via the appearance of the youthful Dick Hallorann. Currently, as the story progresses, Welcome to Derry is weaving in another classic tale from King that deserves a revisit.
The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption
Although Shawshank Redemption may not be considered a horror film, especially in contrast with much of the author's additional work, it is a haunting story about an wrongfully convicted man condemned to live the rest of his life inside a infamous penitentiary. It is that very institution which is important here, since the Shawshank facility holds significant history throughout King's stories — a tradition which persists within Welcome to Derry.
Among the stories that reference the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these narratives, we discover regarding the terrible conditions at Shawshank State Prison plus some of the inmates within, including the boyfriend of a of Pennywise's initial victims, who had been convicted of armed robbery.
Thus far, however, the most we've learned concerning Shawshank has been via the eyes of Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. Andy ends up at the prison after his wrongful conviction, and finds himself assaulted and abused by fellow inmates, while exploited by the authority figures due to his financial knowledge. He requires him 28 years to tunnel an escape route from Shawshank, prior to making his way "through sewage" to take back his liberty.
Shawshank's Role in It: Welcome to Derry
Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, viewers initially discovered of Shawshank's inclusion from an early trailer for the series, in which a prison bus was seen bearing the title painted on the side. In episode 2, we learn which character is likely headed to Shawshank.
Although we know he did not responsible for the murders of children initially, the character Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. The preview for episode 3, "Now You See It," shows an officer telling a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what they do to child murderers in Shawshank?"
The Implications for Hank and Ronnie
Given that the actual murderer in Derry is an ancient power from another world preying on and murdering kids, Hank's prospects of proving his innocence appear slim. And even if he does go in the prison and the audience don't follow him there, understanding what is known regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his time there would be far from pleasant.
More importantly, though, this development could threaten Ronnie. He acts as her guardian. Terrible events are happening in the town which no one, child or adult, understands and Ronnie only has her recently formed circle of pals to rely on. She's going to need her father in the coming episodes, but if the prison system has any say, she could 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 air weekly on Sundays.
