Don't Miss One Iconic Stephen King Movie Prior to the Series' Next Episode

The series Welcome to Derry is filled with nods to Stephen King's vast universe of narratives. Apart from the obvious ties to the original story, the series also features an explicit connection to King's famous novel via the cameo of the youthful future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Now, as the narrative progresses, Welcome to Derry is integrating one more beloved tale from King which merits another look.

The Haunting Tale of The Shawshank Redemption

While Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as a horror film, especially compared to a lot of King's other writing, it is a haunting tale about an innocently imprisoned man condemned to spend his remaining years in a infamous penitentiary. It is this specific penitentiary which is central here, as Shawshank State Prison possesses considerable history across King's stories — a tradition which persists in It: Welcome to Derry.

Some of the tales which mention Shawshank include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these narratives, we discover regarding the awful conditions inside the state penitentiary plus some of those imprisoned there, such as the partner of a belonging to Pennywise's early targets, who had been found guilty for robbery with a weapon.

So far, though, the majority we've learned about the prison has been via the perspective of the protagonist from The Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by Tim Robbins in that 1994 film. Andy winds up at the prison following being wrongly convicted, then experiences assaulted and raped by other prisoners, and taken advantage of by the authority figures for his financial knowledge. He requires nearly three decades to tunnel his way out of the prison, before crawling "through sewage" to take back his freedom.

Shawshank's Appearance in Welcome to Derry

Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, audiences first learned about the prison's involvement from an early trailer for the series, in which a prison bus appeared with the name displayed on its side. In episode 2, it is revealed which character is probably headed to the prison.

Though it is known he did not responsible for the murders of children initially, the character Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody 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 in Shawshank?"

The Consequences for the Character and His Daughter

Given that the actual murderer in Derry is an ancient power from another world hunting and murdering children, Hank's prospects of clearing his name do not look good. And even if he does go to Shawshank and the audience don't follow him there, understanding what is known regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his time there would be far from pleasant.

Crucially, though, this situation would endanger Ronnie. Hank is her protector. Terrible events are happening in the town that nobody, child or adult, comprehends and she only has her new group of friends to depend on. She will require her dad as the story progresses, but if Shawshank has any say, she could be without help.

One thing 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 each Sunday.