Make Time For One Legendary Stephen King Film Prior to It: Welcome to Derry's Upcoming Installment
The series It: Welcome to Derry is filled with nods to the author's wide-ranging collection of tales. Beyond the clear links to the original story, the series showcases a direct connection to King's famous novel via the cameo of the youthful future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Now, as the narrative unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in another beloved tale from King which merits another look.
The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption
Although Shawshank Redemption isn't typically considered a horror film, particularly compared to much of King's other writing, it remains a gripping tale about an wrongfully convicted individual sentenced to live the rest of his life inside a notorious prison. It is that very institution that becomes central here, since the Shawshank facility possesses significant history throughout King's fictional world — a pattern which persists within Welcome to Derry.
Some of the stories which mention the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these stories, we discover regarding the terrible life at the state penitentiary plus several of the inmates there, including the boyfriend of a belonging to Pennywise's initial targets, who was convicted for robbery with a weapon.
Thus far, however, the most we have discovered about the prison has been through the eyes of the protagonist in Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by Tim Robbins in the 1994 movie. Andy winds up at the prison following being wrongly convicted, and finds himself beaten and abused by fellow inmates, and exploited by those in officials in power for his expertise in finance. It takes him 28 years to dig an escape route of the prison, before crawling "through sewage" to reclaim his liberty.
Shawshank's Appearance in Welcome to Derry
In relation to the series, viewers first learned of Shawshank's involvement via an early trailer for the show, where a correctional transport was seen with the name displayed on its side. During the second episode, it is revealed which character is likely headed to the prison.
Although we know he was not commit the murders of children initially, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for the crimes. A teaser for episode 3, "Now You See It," reveals an officer informing a jailed Hank, "Do you know what they do to child murderers in Shawshank?"
The Consequences for Hank and His Daughter
Considering that the actual murderer in the town is an ancient power originating elsewhere hunting and murdering children, Hank's chances of proving his innocence appear slim. Even should he ends up in the prison and viewers do not see him inside, knowing what we do about that prison indicates that his time there would not be enjoyable.
More importantly, though, this development would endanger Ronnie. He acts as her protector. Terrible events are occurring in the town which no one, young or old, understands and she only has her new group of friends to depend on. She's going to need her father in the coming episodes, but if Shawshank plays a role, she could be without help.
One thing is apparent: Hank lacks 28 years to tunnel to freedom.
It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available via the streaming service. New episodes air weekly on Sundays.
