You Should Watch This Iconic Stephen King Movie Before the Series' Next Episode
HBO's It: Welcome to Derry is filled with nods to Stephen King's extensive library of stories. Apart from the obvious links to It, the series showcases an explicit connection to The Shining through the cameo of the youthful future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Now, as the narrative unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in another classic tale from King that deserves another look.
The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
Although The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically classified as a horror film, especially compared to a lot of King's other writing, it is a gripping story of a wrongfully convicted man sentenced to live the rest of his life in a notorious penitentiary. It is that very institution which is central in this context, as Shawshank State Prison holds considerable lore across King's stories — a pattern that continues within It: Welcome to Derry.
Some of the stories which mention the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Through these narratives, we learn about the awful conditions at the state penitentiary and several of the inmates there, such as the boyfriend of one of Pennywise's early targets, who was convicted of armed robbery.
Thus far, however, the most we've learned concerning Shawshank has been through the eyes of the protagonist in The Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. The character Andy winds up at the prison following his wrongful conviction, then finds himself beaten and raped by fellow inmates, while taken advantage of by the officials in power due to his financial knowledge. He requires nearly three decades to tunnel his way out from Shawshank, before crawling "through a river of shit" to reclaim his freedom.
Shawshank's Role in Welcome to Derry
Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, viewers first learned of Shawshank's inclusion via an early trailer for the series, where a prison bus was seen bearing the title displayed on its side. During the second episode, we learn which character is probably headed to the prison.
Although we know he did not responsible for the murders of children in the first episode, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for the crimes. A teaser for episode 3, "the upcoming installment," shows a guard informing Hank in his cell, "Do you know what they do to kiddie killers in Shawshank?"
The Consequences for the Character and His Daughter
Given that the real killer in Derry is an ancient power from another world preying on and murdering children, Hank's chances of clearing his name do not look good. Even should he does go to Shawshank and the audience don't follow him inside, understanding what we do about that prison makes it clear that his experience would be far from pleasant.
More importantly, however, this situation would endanger Ronnie. He acts as her protector. Horrible things are occurring in the town which no one, child or adult, comprehends and she just has her recently formed of friends to rely on. She's going to need her dad in the coming episodes, however should Shawshank plays a role, she could be out of luck.
One thing is apparent: Hank lacks three decades to tunnel his way out.
It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available via the streaming service. Additional installments are released each week each Sunday.
