Don't Miss This Legendary Stephen King Cinematic Before the Series' Upcoming Installment

The series Welcome to Derry is packed with nods to Stephen King's extensive collection of tales. Apart from the obvious ties to It, the show includes a direct link to The Shining through the cameo of the youthful future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Currently, as the narrative unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is integrating another classic King story which merits a revisit.

The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption

Although The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically considered horror, especially compared to much of the author's additional writing, it remains a haunting tale of a wrongfully convicted individual sentenced to live the rest of his life in a infamous prison. It is this specific penitentiary which is important here, as the Shawshank facility possesses significant history across King's stories — a pattern which persists in Welcome to Derry.

Some of the stories which mention the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these stories, we learn about the awful life inside Shawshank State Prison and some of the inmates within, including the partner of a of Pennywise's initial victims, who had been found guilty for robbery with a weapon.

So far, however, the most we have discovered concerning Shawshank was via the eyes of the protagonist from Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. Andy winds up at the prison following being wrongly convicted, then finds himself beaten and abused by other prisoners, while exploited by those in authority figures for his financial knowledge. He requires nearly three decades to tunnel his way out from Shawshank, before making his way "through sewage" to take back his liberty.

The Prison's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry

In relation to It: Welcome to Derry, viewers first learned of Shawshank's involvement via an early trailer for the series, in which a correctional transport appeared bearing the title displayed on its side. During the second episode, it is revealed which character is likely destined for Shawshank.

Though it is known he did not commit the child deaths initially, the character Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for those offenses. The preview for episode 3, "Now You See It," shows a guard telling a jailed Hank, "Do you know what they do to kiddie killers at that prison?"

The Implications for the Character and Ronnie

Considering that the real killer in Derry is a primordial entity from another world preying on and murdering kids, Hank's prospects of proving his innocence do not look good. Even should he does go to Shawshank and the audience do not see him there, understanding what is known regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his time there would be far from enjoyable.

More importantly, however, this situation would endanger his daughter. He acts as her guardian. Horrible things are happening in the town that nobody, child or adult, comprehends and Ronnie only has her recently formed circle of pals to depend on. She will require her dad in the coming episodes, but if the prison system plays a role, she may be out of luck.

One thing is apparent: Hank lacks three decades to dig his way out.

It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are streaming now on HBO Max. New episodes are released each week on Sundays.