Make Time For This Legendary Stephen King Movie Prior to the Series' Next Episode
HBO's It: Welcome to Derry is packed with references to Stephen King's vast collection of tales. Apart from the obvious ties to the original story, the series also features a direct connection to The Shining through the appearance of the youthful Dick Hallorann. Currently, as the narrative unfolds, Welcome to Derry is integrating one more classic King story that deserves a revisit.
The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption
While The Shawshank Redemption may not be considered horror, particularly compared to much of the author's additional writing, it is a haunting story about an innocently imprisoned man condemned to live his remaining years inside a infamous penitentiary. It is this specific institution that becomes important here, as the Shawshank facility possesses significant lore throughout King's fictional world — a tradition that continues in It: Welcome to Derry.
Among the stories which mention Shawshank include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these stories, we learn about the terrible life at Shawshank State Prison and several of the inmates there, such as the boyfriend of one belonging to Pennywise's early victims, who was found guilty for robbery with a weapon.
Thus far, though, the most we've learned concerning Shawshank has been through the eyes of Andy Dufresne in Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by Tim Robbins in that 1994 film. Andy winds up at the prison following his wrongful conviction, then finds himself assaulted and abused by fellow inmates, while taken advantage of by those in authority figures for his expertise in finance. It takes him 28 years to dig his way out from Shawshank, prior to crawling "through a river of shit" to take back his freedom.
The Prison's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry
In relation to the series, viewers first learned about the prison's involvement via an early trailer for the series, in which a prison bus appeared bearing the title painted on the side. In episode 2, it is revealed who is likely destined for the prison.
Although we know he did not commit the child deaths in the first episode, the character Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for the crimes. The preview for episode 3, "Now You See It," reveals a guard telling Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what happens to kiddie killers in Shawshank?"
The Consequences for the Character and Ronnie
Given that the actual murderer in Derry is a primordial entity originating elsewhere preying on and murdering kids, Hank's chances of proving his innocence appear slim. Even should he does go in the prison and viewers do not see him inside, knowing what we do regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his time there would not be enjoyable.
More importantly, however, this situation would endanger his daughter. Hank is her protector. Terrible events are occurring around Derry which no one, young or old, comprehends and she just has her new group of friends to depend on. She will require her dad in the coming episodes, but if Shawshank plays a role, she could be out of luck.
A single fact seems clear: Hank doesn’t have 28 years to tunnel to freedom.
It: Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now on HBO Max. New episodes are released each week each Sunday.
