Don't Miss This Iconic Stephen King Movie Prior to It: Welcome to Derry's Next Episode
The series It: Welcome to Derry is packed with references to the author's vast collection of tales. Beyond the clear links to the original story, the series showcases an explicit link to King's famous novel through the cameo of a young Dick Hallorann. Now, as the story progresses, Welcome to Derry is weaving in another classic King story which merits another look.
The Haunting Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
Although The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically classified as a horror film, especially compared to a lot of the author's additional writing, it remains a haunting story of a innocently imprisoned man condemned to live the rest of his life in a notorious penitentiary. And it's that very penitentiary which is important here, since the Shawshank facility holds significant history across King's fictional world — a pattern that continues in Welcome to Derry.
Among the stories that reference Shawshank are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these narratives, we discover about the terrible life at Shawshank State Prison plus several of those imprisoned within, including the boyfriend of a belonging to Pennywise's early targets, who was found guilty of armed robbery.
Thus far, though, the most we have discovered concerning Shawshank was via the eyes of Andy Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in that 1994 film. Andy ends up in Shawshank following being wrongly convicted, and finds himself beaten and abused by fellow inmates, while exploited by the officials in power for his financial knowledge. It takes nearly three decades to tunnel an escape route from Shawshank, before making his way "through sewage" to reclaim his freedom.
The Prison's Appearance in Welcome to Derry
In relation to the series, viewers initially discovered about the prison's inclusion via an initial preview for the series, in which a prison bus appeared bearing the title painted on the side. In episode 2, we learn who is likely destined for the prison.
Although it is known he was not commit the child deaths in the first episode, the character Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for those offenses. The preview for the next episode, "Now You See It," reveals an officer telling Hank in his cell, "Do you know what they do to child murderers in Shawshank?"
The Consequences for the Character and Ronnie
Considering that the actual murderer in the town is a primordial entity originating elsewhere preying on and killing children, Hank's chances of proving his innocence appear slim. Even should he does go to Shawshank and the audience do not see him inside, understanding what we do regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his time there would not be pleasant.
Crucially, however, this development would endanger Ronnie. He acts as her guardian. Terrible events are occurring in the town that nobody, child or adult, understands and she only has her new group of friends to rely on. She will require her dad in the coming episodes, but if the prison system has any say, she may be out of luck.
A single fact seems clear: Hank lacks 28 years to dig his way out.
It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are streaming now via the streaming service. New episodes are released each week on Sundays.
