Make Time For This Classic Stephen King Film Before It: Welcome to Derry's Upcoming Installment
The series It: Welcome to Derry is filled with references to the author's wide-ranging universe of narratives. Beyond the clear ties to the original story, the series includes a direct link to King's famous novel through the cameo of the youthful Dick Hallorann. Now, as the narrative unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is integrating one more beloved King story that deserves a revisit.
The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
Although Shawshank Redemption isn't typically considered horror, particularly compared to a lot of King's other work, it remains a haunting tale of a wrongfully convicted individual condemned to live his remaining years in a notorious prison. And it's this specific institution which is important in this context, since Shawshank State Prison holds significant lore throughout King's stories — a pattern that continues within Welcome to Derry.
Among the stories which mention Shawshank are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Through these stories, we discover about the awful life inside Shawshank State Prison plus some of those imprisoned within, such as the partner of a belonging to Pennywise's initial targets, who had been found guilty for robbery with a weapon.
So far, though, the most we've learned concerning Shawshank was through the eyes of the protagonist in Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in that 1994 film. The character Andy winds up at the prison following being wrongly convicted, then experiences beaten and abused by other prisoners, while exploited by those in authority figures for his expertise in finance. He requires nearly three decades to dig an escape route of the prison, before crawling "through sewage" to take back his freedom.
The Prison's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry
Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, viewers first learned about the prison's involvement via an initial preview for the series, in which a prison bus was seen with the name painted on the side. During the second episode, it is revealed which character is likely headed to the prison.
Though we know he did not responsible for the child deaths initially, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for the crimes. The preview for the next episode, "the upcoming installment," reveals a guard informing Hank in his cell, "Do you know what happens to child murderers at that prison?"
The Implications for Hank and Ronnie
Considering that the actual killer in Derry is an ancient power from another world preying on and murdering kids, Hank's prospects of clearing his name do not look good. Even should he ends up to Shawshank and the audience do not see him inside, knowing what is known about that prison indicates that his time there would not be enjoyable.
Crucially, though, this situation would endanger his daughter. He acts as her guardian. Horrible things are happening around Derry which no one, young or old, comprehends and she only has her recently formed of friends to rely on. She will require her dad as the story progresses, but if the prison system plays a role, she may be out of luck.
A single fact is apparent: Hank lacks 28 years to tunnel his way out.
Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now on HBO Max. Additional installments are released each week each Sunday.