You Should Watch One Legendary Stephen King Movie Before It: Welcome to Derry's Next Episode

The series It: Welcome to Derry contains numerous connections to the author's vast library of stories. Beyond the clear links to the original story, the show also features 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, It: Welcome to Derry is integrating another classic King story which merits a revisit.

The Haunting Tale of The Shawshank Redemption

Although Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as horror, particularly in contrast with much of King's other writing, it remains a gripping story about an wrongfully convicted man sentenced to live the rest of his life inside a notorious prison. And it's this specific institution which is important in this context, as the Shawshank facility possesses considerable lore across King's fictional world — a pattern that continues in It: Welcome to Derry.

Some of the tales which mention the prison are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these narratives, we learn about the terrible conditions at the state penitentiary plus several of the inmates within, such as the boyfriend of a of Pennywise's initial victims, who was convicted of armed robbery.

Thus far, however, the most we've learned concerning Shawshank has been via the perspective of the protagonist from The Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in that 1994 film. Andy winds up at the prison following being wrongly convicted, and finds himself assaulted and raped by other prisoners, while taken advantage of by the authority figures for his expertise in finance. He requires him 28 years to tunnel his way out of the prison, prior to crawling "through sewage" to reclaim his freedom.

The Prison's Appearance in Welcome to Derry

In relation to the series, viewers first learned of Shawshank's inclusion via an early trailer for the show, in which a correctional transport appeared with the name painted on the side. During the second episode, we learn which character is probably destined for Shawshank.

Although we know he was not commit the child deaths initially, Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), dad to 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

Given that the actual murderer in Derry is an ancient power originating elsewhere preying on and murdering kids, Hank's chances of clearing his name do not look good. Even should he does go to Shawshank and viewers do not see him inside, knowing what we do regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his time there would not be pleasant.

Crucially, however, this situation would endanger Ronnie. Hank is her protector. Terrible events are occurring in the town that nobody, child or adult, comprehends and Ronnie just has her recently formed circle of pals to rely on. She's going to need her dad in the coming episodes, but if the prison system has any say, she could be out of luck.

One thing is apparent: Hank doesn’t have three decades to dig his way out.

Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now on HBO Max. New episodes air weekly each Sunday.