Make Time For One Legendary Stephen King Movie Before It: Welcome to Derry's Upcoming Installment
HBO's It: Welcome to Derry is filled with connections to the author's wide-ranging universe of narratives. Beyond the obvious links to It, the series showcases an explicit link to The Shining through the appearance of the youthful Dick Hallorann. Now, as the story progresses, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in one more beloved King story that deserves another look.
The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption
While The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically classified as horror, especially compared to a lot of King's other work, it is a gripping story of a wrongfully convicted man condemned to live the rest of his life inside a infamous prison. It is that very institution which is important here, as the Shawshank facility holds considerable history across King's fictional world — a tradition which persists in It: Welcome to Derry.
Some of the stories that reference the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these narratives, we discover regarding the awful life inside Shawshank State Prison and some of those imprisoned within, such as the partner of one of Pennywise's initial victims, who had been found guilty for robbery with a weapon.
So far, though, the most we've learned about the prison was via the perspective of Andy Dufresne from The Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. The character Andy ends up at the prison following his wrongful conviction, and experiences assaulted and raped by other prisoners, and exploited by those in authority figures for his financial knowledge. He requires nearly three decades to tunnel an escape route of the prison, prior to making his way "through sewage" to take back his liberty.
The Prison's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry
Regarding the series, viewers initially discovered of Shawshank's involvement via an early trailer for the series, in which a prison bus appeared bearing the title displayed on its side. In episode 2, we learn who is probably destined for the prison.
Although it is known he was not responsible for the murders of children in the first episode, Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for the crimes. The preview for episode 3, "Now You See It," shows an officer telling Hank in his cell, "Do you know what they do to child murderers at that prison?"
The Implications for Hank and Ronnie
Given that the actual killer in Derry is a primordial entity originating elsewhere preying on and murdering children, Hank's chances of proving his innocence appear slim. And even if he ends up to Shawshank and the audience don't follow him inside, knowing what we do about that prison makes it clear that his time there would be far from pleasant.
More importantly, however, this situation could threaten Ronnie. He acts as her guardian. Horrible things are happening around Derry that nobody, young or old, comprehends and Ronnie just has her recently formed of friends to depend on. She's going to need her father as the story progresses, however should Shawshank plays a role, she may be out of luck.
One thing seems clear: Hank lacks three decades to tunnel his way out.
It: Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now via the streaming service. New episodes are released each week each Sunday.
