Don't Miss One Classic Stephen King Film Before the Series' Upcoming Installment

The series It: Welcome to Derry contains numerous connections to the author's vast universe of narratives. Beyond the clear links to the original story, the show also features an explicit connection to King's famous novel via the appearance of a young future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Now, as the narrative unfolds, Welcome to Derry is integrating another classic King story which merits another look.

The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption

While Shawshank Redemption may not be considered horror, particularly in contrast with a lot of the author's additional work, it remains a haunting tale about an innocently imprisoned man sentenced to spend his remaining years in a infamous penitentiary. It is this specific institution that becomes important in this context, as the Shawshank facility holds significant history throughout King's fictional world — a pattern that continues within Welcome to Derry.

Among the stories that reference the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Through these narratives, we discover about the terrible life at the state penitentiary plus several of those imprisoned within, such as the partner of a of Pennywise's early victims, who was convicted for robbery with a weapon.

Thus far, though, the most we have discovered concerning Shawshank has been via the perspective of Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption, played by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 movie. Andy winds up in Shawshank after his wrongful conviction, then experiences beaten and raped by other prisoners, and taken advantage of by those in officials in power due to his expertise in finance. He requires nearly three decades to tunnel an escape route from Shawshank, prior to crawling "through a river of shit" to reclaim his liberty.

Shawshank's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry

Regarding the series, audiences first learned of Shawshank's inclusion from an early trailer for the series, in which a prison bus appeared with the name displayed on its side. In episode 2, it is revealed which character is probably destined for Shawshank.

Although it is known he did not responsible for the child deaths initially, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. A teaser for episode 3, "Now You See It," shows an officer informing a jailed Hank, "Do you know what happens to kiddie killers at that prison?"

The Consequences for Hank and His Daughter

Given that the actual killer in the town is an ancient power originating elsewhere preying on and murdering kids, Hank's prospects of clearing his name appear slim. Even should he does go to Shawshank and the audience do not see him inside, knowing what we do regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his experience would not be pleasant.

More importantly, however, this development could threaten his daughter. Hank is her guardian. Horrible things are happening in the town which no one, young or old, comprehends and Ronnie just has her new group circle of pals to depend on. She's going to need her father in the coming episodes, however should Shawshank plays a role, she may be out of luck.

A single fact is apparent: Hank doesn’t have three decades to tunnel to freedom.

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