Make Time For This Classic Stephen King Film Prior to It: Welcome to Derry's Upcoming Installment
HBO's It: Welcome to Derry contains numerous nods to Stephen King's wide-ranging universe of narratives. Apart from the obvious links to It, the show includes an explicit connection to The Shining via the cameo of the youthful Dick Hallorann. Currently, as the story progresses, Welcome to Derry is integrating another classic tale from King which merits a revisit.
The Haunting Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
Although The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically considered a horror film, particularly compared to much of the author's additional writing, it remains a gripping tale of a wrongfully convicted individual sentenced to live the rest of his life in a infamous penitentiary. It is that very penitentiary which is central here, as the Shawshank facility holds significant history throughout King's stories — a pattern that continues in 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 stories, we discover regarding the awful conditions at the state penitentiary plus some of those imprisoned within, such as the partner of a of Pennywise's early targets, who was found guilty of armed robbery.
Thus far, though, the majority we have discovered concerning Shawshank has been through the eyes of the protagonist in Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. Andy ends up at the prison after his wrongful conviction, then finds himself beaten and raped by fellow inmates, while taken advantage of by those in authority figures due to his financial knowledge. It takes him 28 years to tunnel an escape route of the prison, before crawling "through sewage" to reclaim his freedom.
Shawshank's Role in Welcome to Derry
In relation to the series, viewers initially discovered about the prison's involvement from an early trailer for the show, in which a prison bus appeared bearing the title painted on the side. In episode 2, it is revealed who is probably headed to the prison.
Although we know he did not responsible for the child deaths initially, the character Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for those offenses. The preview for the next episode, "Now You See It," shows an officer informing a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what happens to kiddie killers in Shawshank?"
The Consequences for the Character and His Daughter
Considering that the real killer in Derry is an ancient power originating elsewhere preying on and killing kids, Hank's prospects of proving his innocence appear slim. And even if he ends up in the prison and the audience do not see him there, knowing what we do about that prison indicates that his time there would be far from enjoyable.
Crucially, however, this situation could threaten Ronnie. Hank is her protector. Terrible events are occurring in the town which no one, child or adult, understands and Ronnie just has her recently formed of friends to rely on. She will require her dad as the story progresses, but if Shawshank has any say, she could be without help.
A single fact is apparent: Hank lacks 28 years to dig to freedom.
Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are streaming now on HBO Max. New episodes are released each week on Sundays.
