Don't Miss One Classic Stephen King Film Prior to the Series' Upcoming Installment
The series Welcome to Derry is filled with connections to Stephen King's vast collection of tales. Apart from the clear ties to the original story, the series showcases an explicit link to The Shining through the cameo of the youthful Dick Hallorann. Now, as the story progresses, Welcome to Derry is integrating another beloved tale from King that deserves another look.
The Powerful Story of The Shawshank Redemption
Although The Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as a horror film, especially compared to a lot of the author's additional work, it is a haunting story about an wrongfully convicted individual sentenced to spend his remaining years in a notorious penitentiary. And it's that very penitentiary that becomes central in this context, since Shawshank State Prison holds considerable lore throughout King's fictional world — a tradition which persists within Welcome to Derry.
Some of the tales that reference the prison are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Through these narratives, we discover regarding the terrible life inside the state penitentiary and several of the inmates there, such as the boyfriend of one of Pennywise's initial victims, who was convicted of armed robbery.
Thus far, though, the majority we've learned concerning Shawshank has been through the perspective of the protagonist from The Shawshank Redemption, played by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 movie. Andy winds up at the prison after his wrongful conviction, and experiences assaulted and raped by other prisoners, while exploited by those in officials in power due to his financial knowledge. He requires him 28 years to tunnel an escape route from Shawshank, prior to crawling "through a river of shit" to take back his liberty.
Shawshank's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry
Regarding the series, audiences initially discovered of Shawshank's involvement from an early trailer for the series, in which a prison bus was seen bearing the title painted on the side. During the second episode, it is revealed who is likely headed to Shawshank.
Although we know he was not commit the child deaths in the first episode, Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for the crimes. The preview for the next episode, "the upcoming installment," reveals an officer informing Hank in his cell, "Do you know what they do to kiddie killers in Shawshank?"
The Implications for the Character and His Daughter
Considering that the real killer in Derry is an ancient power originating elsewhere hunting and murdering kids, Hank's chances of clearing his name do not look good. And even if he ends up to Shawshank and viewers don't follow him there, knowing what is known regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his experience would not be enjoyable.
More importantly, though, this situation would endanger Ronnie. He acts as her guardian. Terrible events are occurring around Derry that nobody, child or adult, comprehends and she only has her recently formed of friends to rely on. She will require her father in the coming episodes, however should Shawshank plays a role, she may be without help.
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 are released each week each Sunday.
