Make Time For This Classic Stephen King Movie Prior to the Series' Upcoming Installment
HBO's Welcome to Derry is filled with connections to Stephen King's extensive collection of tales. Apart from the clear ties to It, the show showcases an explicit link to The Shining through the appearance of the youthful Dick Hallorann. Currently, as the story unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in another beloved King story that deserves another look.
The Haunting Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
While Shawshank Redemption isn't typically classified as horror, especially in contrast with a lot of King's other writing, it is a haunting story of a wrongfully convicted individual condemned to spend the rest of his life inside a infamous prison. And it's that very institution which is important in this context, since Shawshank State Prison holds significant history throughout King's fictional world — a pattern which persists in It: Welcome to Derry.
Some of the tales that reference Shawshank are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these stories, we discover about the awful life at Shawshank State Prison plus several of the inmates within, including the partner of a belonging to Pennywise's initial victims, who had been convicted for robbery with a weapon.
Thus far, however, the majority we have discovered about the prison was via the eyes of Andy Dufresne in Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 movie. Andy winds up in Shawshank after being wrongly convicted, and finds himself assaulted and abused by other prisoners, and taken advantage of by those in authority figures due to his expertise in finance. He requires him 28 years to tunnel his way out of the prison, prior to crawling "through a river of shit" to reclaim his liberty.
The Prison's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry
Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, viewers initially discovered about the prison's inclusion from an early trailer for the show, where a correctional transport appeared with the name displayed on its side. In episode 2, it is revealed which character is probably destined for the prison.
Although we know he was not responsible for the child deaths initially, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for the crimes. A teaser for the next episode, "the upcoming installment," shows an officer telling a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what happens to child murderers at that prison?"
The Implications for the Character and His Daughter
Considering that the real murderer in Derry is a primordial entity originating elsewhere hunting and murdering children, Hank's chances of clearing his name do not look good. And even if he does go to Shawshank and the audience don't follow him inside, understanding what is known regarding Shawshank indicates that his time there would not be enjoyable.
More importantly, though, this development could threaten his daughter. Hank is her guardian. Horrible things are happening around Derry that nobody, young or old, comprehends and she only has her new group circle of pals to rely on. She will require her dad in the coming episodes, however should Shawshank plays a role, she could be without help.
One thing is apparent: Hank doesn’t have three decades to tunnel 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.
