You Should Watch This Iconic Stephen King Movie Prior to It: Welcome to Derry's Upcoming Installment
The series It: Welcome to Derry contains numerous connections to the author's wide-ranging collection of tales. Apart from the clear links to It, the show also features an explicit connection to King's famous novel through the appearance of a young Dick Hallorann. Currently, as the story unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is integrating another beloved King story that deserves a revisit.
The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption
While The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically classified as a horror film, particularly compared to a lot of the author's additional work, it is a gripping tale of a innocently imprisoned individual sentenced to spend the rest of his life in a infamous prison. It is that very institution that becomes central in this context, since the Shawshank facility possesses significant history throughout King's stories — a tradition that continues within It: Welcome to Derry.
Among the stories that reference Shawshank are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Through these narratives, we learn about the terrible conditions inside the state penitentiary plus several of those imprisoned within, such as the partner of a of Pennywise's initial victims, who had been found guilty for robbery with a weapon.
Thus far, however, the majority we've learned about the prison has been via the perspective of Andy Dufresne from The Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. Andy winds up in Shawshank following being wrongly convicted, and finds himself assaulted and abused by fellow inmates, while exploited by those in authority figures for his expertise in finance. It takes him 28 years to tunnel his way out from Shawshank, prior to crawling "through a river of shit" to reclaim his freedom.
Shawshank's Appearance in Welcome to Derry
Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, audiences initially discovered about the prison's involvement from an early trailer for the series, in which a correctional transport was seen bearing the title displayed on its side. During the second episode, it is revealed who is probably headed to Shawshank.
Although we know he did not commit the murders of children initially, Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for the crimes. A teaser for the next episode, "Now You See It," shows an officer telling a jailed Hank, "Do you know what they do to child murderers in Shawshank?"
The Implications for Hank and His Daughter
Given that the actual killer in the town is an ancient power originating elsewhere hunting and murdering kids, Hank's chances of proving his innocence appear slim. And even if he does go in the prison and the audience don't follow him inside, knowing what we do about that prison makes it clear that his time there would not be pleasant.
More importantly, though, this development would endanger Ronnie. Hank is her protector. Terrible events are happening around Derry that nobody, young or old, understands and she only has her new group of friends to depend on. She will require her father as the story progresses, but if Shawshank plays a role, she may be without help.
One thing seems clear: Hank doesn’t have three decades to dig his way out.
It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available via the streaming service. New episodes are released each week on Sundays.
