You Should Watch One Classic Stephen King Film Before the Series' Upcoming Installment
HBO's It: Welcome to Derry is filled with nods to the author's wide-ranging library of stories. Beyond the clear ties to the original story, the series also features an explicit link to King's famous novel via the appearance of a young future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Currently, as the story progresses, It: Welcome to Derry is integrating one more classic tale from King that deserves another look.
The Haunting Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
Although Shawshank Redemption may not be considered horror, particularly compared to much of King's other writing, it remains a haunting story about an wrongfully convicted individual condemned to live his remaining years in a infamous prison. It is this specific institution that becomes important in this context, as the Shawshank facility holds significant history across King's stories — a tradition which persists in Welcome to Derry.
Some of the tales 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 inside the state penitentiary and several of those imprisoned there, such as the boyfriend of a belonging to Pennywise's initial victims, who had been found guilty for robbery with a weapon.
So far, though, the most we have discovered about the prison was via the perspective of Andy Dufresne from The Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in the 1994 movie. The character Andy winds up at the prison after being wrongly convicted, then experiences beaten and abused by other prisoners, while taken advantage of by the officials in power for his expertise in finance. He requires nearly three decades to tunnel his way out from Shawshank, before crawling "through sewage" to take back his liberty.
The Prison's Appearance in Welcome to Derry
Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, viewers first learned about the prison's inclusion via an early trailer for the show, where a prison bus appeared bearing the title displayed on its side. During the second episode, we learn who is probably headed to Shawshank.
Although it is known he was not commit the murders of children initially, Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for those offenses. A teaser for episode 3, "Now You See It," reveals an officer telling Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what they do to kiddie killers in Shawshank?"
The Consequences for Hank and Ronnie
Given that the actual killer in the town is an ancient power from another world preying on and killing kids, Hank's prospects of clearing his name appear slim. And even if he does go in the prison and the audience don't follow him there, understanding what is known about that prison indicates that his time there would not be pleasant.
Crucially, however, this development would endanger Ronnie. He acts as her protector. Horrible things are occurring in the town which no one, young or old, understands and she just has her new group of friends to rely on. She will require her father as the story progresses, but if the prison system has any say, she may be out of luck.
One thing is apparent: Hank lacks 28 years to tunnel his way out.
It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are streaming now via the streaming service. Additional installments are released each week on Sundays.
