Make Time For This Classic Stephen King Film Prior to It: Welcome to Derry's Next Episode

HBO's It: Welcome to Derry contains numerous nods to Stephen King's wide-ranging library of stories. Beyond the obvious links to It, the series showcases an explicit connection to King's famous novel through the cameo of a young future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Now, as the narrative progresses, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in another beloved King story which merits a revisit.

The Powerful Story of The Shawshank Redemption

While Shawshank Redemption isn't typically classified as a horror film, particularly compared to a lot of King's other writing, it remains a haunting story about an innocently imprisoned individual sentenced to live the rest of his life inside a infamous prison. It is this specific penitentiary that becomes central in this context, since Shawshank State Prison possesses significant lore across King's stories — a tradition which persists in It: Welcome to Derry.

Among the tales which mention 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 the state penitentiary plus some of those imprisoned there, including the partner of a belonging to Pennywise's initial victims, who had been found guilty of armed robbery.

So far, though, the majority we've learned concerning Shawshank has been through the perspective of the protagonist from The Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in that 1994 film. Andy ends up at the prison following being wrongly convicted, then experiences assaulted and abused by other prisoners, and exploited by the officials in power for his expertise in finance. It takes nearly three decades to tunnel his way out from Shawshank, prior to making his way "through a river of shit" to take back his liberty.

The Prison's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry

Regarding the series, viewers first learned about the prison's inclusion via an early trailer for the series, in which a correctional transport was seen bearing the title painted on the side. In episode 2, we learn who is probably destined for the prison.

Although we know he was not responsible for the murders of children in the first episode, the character Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. The preview for episode 3, "the upcoming installment," shows an officer informing a jailed Hank, "Do you know what happens to child murderers in Shawshank?"

The Implications for the Character and His Daughter

Considering that the actual killer in Derry is a primordial entity from another world hunting and killing kids, Hank's chances of clearing his name appear slim. Even should he ends up to Shawshank and viewers don't follow him inside, knowing what we do about that prison indicates that his experience would be far from pleasant.

More importantly, however, this situation could threaten his daughter. Hank is her guardian. Horrible things are happening around Derry that nobody, child or adult, comprehends and Ronnie just has her recently formed circle of pals to depend on. She will require her dad as the story progresses, however should the prison system plays a role, she could be without help.

A single fact is apparent: Hank doesn’t have 28 years to tunnel his way out.

It: Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now via the streaming service. Additional installments are released each week on Sundays.