Don't Miss One Classic Stephen King Cinematic Before It: Welcome to Derry's Upcoming Installment
The series It: Welcome to Derry is packed with references to Stephen King's wide-ranging universe of narratives. Beyond the clear ties to It, the show showcases an explicit connection 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 weaving in another beloved tale from King that deserves another look.
The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
Although Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as horror, especially compared to much of the author's additional work, it is a haunting story of a wrongfully convicted individual condemned to live his remaining years inside a infamous prison. It is that very penitentiary that becomes important in this context, since the Shawshank facility holds considerable lore throughout King's stories — a tradition that continues within It: Welcome to Derry.
Among the tales which mention Shawshank are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Through these narratives, we discover regarding the terrible life inside the state penitentiary plus some of those imprisoned there, such as the boyfriend of a of Pennywise's early victims, who had been convicted for robbery with a weapon.
So far, though, the majority we've learned about the prison has been via the eyes of the protagonist from Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. Andy winds up at the prison after being wrongly convicted, and experiences assaulted and abused by other prisoners, and exploited by those in officials in power due to his expertise in finance. He requires him 28 years to dig his way out of the prison, prior to crawling "through sewage" to reclaim his freedom.
The Prison's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry
In relation to It: Welcome to Derry, audiences first learned about the prison's involvement from an initial preview for the series, in which a prison bus appeared with the name painted on the side. During the second episode, it is revealed which character is probably headed to the prison.
Although it is known he was not responsible for the child deaths initially, the character Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for the crimes. The preview for episode 3, "Now You See It," reveals a guard telling a jailed Hank, "Do you know what happens to child murderers at that prison?"
The Consequences for Hank and Ronnie
Considering that the real killer in Derry is a primordial entity from another world hunting and killing children, Hank's chances of proving his innocence appear slim. Even should he does go in the prison and viewers don't follow him inside, knowing what we do regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his experience would be far from enjoyable.
Crucially, though, this situation would endanger Ronnie. Hank is her protector. Terrible events are happening in the town which no one, young or old, comprehends and she only has her new group circle of pals to rely on. She's going to need her father as the story progresses, however should Shawshank plays a role, she may be without help.
One thing is apparent: Hank doesn’t have three decades to tunnel his way out.
It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available on HBO Max. New episodes air weekly on Sundays.
