You Should Watch This Iconic Stephen King Cinematic Prior to the Series' Upcoming Installment

HBO's Welcome to Derry is packed with nods to Stephen King's wide-ranging collection of tales. Apart from the obvious ties to the original story, the series includes a direct connection to The Shining via the appearance of a young Dick Hallorann. Currently, as the narrative unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is integrating another classic tale from King that deserves a revisit.

The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption

While Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as a horror film, especially compared to a lot of King's other work, it is a haunting story of a wrongfully convicted man condemned to live his remaining years in a infamous prison. It is this specific penitentiary that becomes important here, since the Shawshank facility holds significant history throughout King's stories — a tradition that continues in It: Welcome to Derry.

Among the stories which mention the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Through these stories, we discover about the awful life at the state penitentiary and some of the inmates within, such as the boyfriend of one belonging to Pennywise's initial targets, who had been convicted for robbery with a weapon.

So far, however, the most we've learned about the prison has been through the perspective of Andy Dufresne from The Shawshank Redemption, played by the actor Tim Robbins in that 1994 film. Andy winds up at the prison after his wrongful conviction, and finds himself beaten and raped by fellow inmates, while taken advantage of by those in authority figures due to his expertise in finance. It takes nearly three decades to dig an escape route from Shawshank, before crawling "through a river of shit" to reclaim his freedom.

Shawshank's Role in It: Welcome to Derry

In relation to It: Welcome to Derry, audiences initially discovered of Shawshank's inclusion from an initial preview for the show, in which a correctional transport appeared bearing the title displayed on its side. During the second episode, it is revealed who is likely destined for Shawshank.

Although it is known he was not commit the child deaths in the first episode, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for the crimes. A teaser for the next episode, "Now You See It," reveals a guard telling a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what happens to child murderers at that prison?"

The Implications for Hank and Ronnie

Considering that the actual killer in Derry is a primordial entity originating elsewhere hunting and murdering kids, Hank's prospects of proving his innocence do not look good. Even should he does go to Shawshank and the audience don't follow him inside, knowing what we do regarding Shawshank indicates that his experience would be far from enjoyable.

Crucially, however, this situation could threaten Ronnie. He acts as her protector. Horrible things are occurring around Derry which no one, child or adult, comprehends and Ronnie only has her recently formed of friends to rely on. She will require her dad as the story progresses, but if the prison system has any say, she could be out of luck.

One thing is apparent: Hank doesn’t have 28 years to dig to freedom.

Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now on HBO Max. Additional installments are released each week on Sundays.