Don't Miss One Iconic Stephen King Film Before It: Welcome to Derry's Upcoming Installment
The series Welcome to Derry is packed with references to the author's wide-ranging collection of tales. Beyond the clear ties to It, the show showcases a direct link to King's famous novel via the cameo of a young future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Now, as the story progresses, Welcome to Derry is integrating one more beloved tale from King which merits a revisit.
The Powerful Story of The Shawshank Redemption
Although Shawshank Redemption isn't typically considered horror, especially in contrast with much of King's other work, it is a haunting story of a wrongfully convicted individual condemned to spend the rest of his life inside a infamous penitentiary. And it's this specific penitentiary that becomes important in this context, since Shawshank State Prison holds significant history across King's fictional world — a pattern that continues within It: Welcome to Derry.
Some of the tales that reference the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these narratives, we learn regarding the terrible conditions at Shawshank State Prison and some of the inmates there, including the boyfriend of one of Pennywise's initial victims, who was found guilty for robbery with a weapon.
Thus far, though, the majority we've learned concerning Shawshank has been through the eyes of Andy Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. The character Andy ends up at the prison following his wrongful conviction, and experiences beaten and abused by fellow inmates, while exploited by those in authority figures due to his financial knowledge. He requires him 28 years to dig his way out from Shawshank, before crawling "through sewage" to reclaim his freedom.
The Prison's Role in It: Welcome to Derry
In relation to the series, viewers first learned of Shawshank's involvement from an early trailer for the series, in which a prison bus appeared bearing the title displayed on its side. During the second episode, it is revealed which character is probably headed to the prison.
Although we know he did not responsible for the murders of children initially, Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for the crimes. A teaser for episode 3, "the upcoming installment," shows a guard telling Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what happens to kiddie killers at that prison?"
The Consequences for Hank and His Daughter
Considering that the real murderer in the town is a primordial entity from another world hunting and killing kids, Hank's prospects of clearing his name do not look good. And even if he does go to Shawshank and the audience do not see him there, understanding what we do regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his experience would be far from pleasant.
More importantly, however, this situation would endanger his daughter. Hank is her protector. Terrible events are occurring in the town that nobody, child or adult, understands and she only has her recently formed of friends to depend on. She's going to need her dad as the story progresses, but if the prison system plays a role, she could be without help.
A single fact seems clear: Hank doesn’t have three decades to dig his way out.
It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are streaming now via the streaming service. Additional installments are released each week each Sunday.
