You Should Watch This Iconic Stephen King Movie Before the Series' Upcoming Installment
HBO's Welcome to Derry is filled with references to Stephen King's wide-ranging library of stories. Apart from the clear ties to It, the show showcases an explicit link to King's famous novel via the appearance of a young Dick Hallorann. Now, as the narrative unfolds, Welcome to Derry is weaving in another classic tale from King which merits another look.
The Haunting Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
Although The Shawshank Redemption may not be considered horror, especially in contrast with much of the author's additional work, it remains a haunting tale about an innocently imprisoned man condemned to spend the rest of his life in a notorious prison. It is this specific penitentiary which is important in this context, since the Shawshank facility possesses considerable history throughout King's stories — a tradition which persists within It: Welcome to Derry.
Among the tales which mention the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these narratives, we learn about the awful conditions at Shawshank State Prison and several of those imprisoned within, such as the boyfriend of one belonging to Pennywise's initial victims, who had been found guilty for robbery with a weapon.
So far, however, the majority we've learned about the prison was via the eyes of Andy Dufresne from The Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. Andy ends up at the prison following being wrongly convicted, then experiences beaten and raped by fellow inmates, and taken advantage of by the authority figures for his expertise in finance. He requires him 28 years to dig an escape route of the prison, prior to crawling "through sewage" to take back his freedom.
Shawshank's Role in Welcome to Derry
Regarding the series, audiences first learned about the prison's involvement from an early trailer for the show, where a correctional transport was seen with the name painted on the side. During the second episode, we learn which character is likely destined for the prison.
Though we know he did not responsible for the murders of children initially, the character Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for the crimes. The preview for the next episode, "Now You See It," reveals an officer telling a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what happens to kiddie killers at that prison?"
The Implications for Hank and Ronnie
Considering that the real killer in the town is a primordial entity originating elsewhere preying on and murdering children, Hank's chances of clearing his name do not look good. Even should he ends up to Shawshank and viewers don't follow him inside, knowing what is known about that prison makes it clear that his experience would be far from enjoyable.
More importantly, however, this development would endanger his daughter. He acts as her guardian. Terrible events are occurring around Derry that nobody, child or adult, comprehends and she only has her recently formed circle of pals to rely on. She will require her dad in the coming episodes, but if the prison system has any say, she could be without help.
One thing seems clear: Hank lacks 28 years to tunnel to freedom.
It: Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are currently available on HBO Max. New episodes air weekly on Sundays.
