Make Time For This Iconic Stephen King Movie 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 series showcases an explicit link to King's famous novel through the appearance of the youthful Dick Hallorann. Currently, as the story unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is integrating another beloved tale from King that deserves another look.
The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption
While Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as a horror film, particularly in contrast with a lot of King's other work, it remains a haunting story of a wrongfully convicted individual condemned to live his remaining years inside a notorious penitentiary. It is this specific penitentiary that becomes central in this context, since the Shawshank facility holds significant history across King's fictional world — a tradition which persists within It: Welcome to Derry.
Some of the stories that reference Shawshank include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Through these stories, we discover about the awful conditions inside Shawshank State Prison plus some of the inmates within, such as the boyfriend of a belonging to Pennywise's early targets, who had been convicted for robbery with a weapon.
So far, however, the most we have discovered about the prison was through the eyes of Andy Dufresne in Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. The character Andy ends up at the prison after his wrongful conviction, and finds himself beaten and abused by other prisoners, and taken advantage of by those in officials in power for his financial knowledge. It takes him 28 years to dig an escape route from Shawshank, prior to making his way "through sewage" to reclaim his liberty.
The Prison's Appearance in Welcome to Derry
Regarding the series, audiences first learned about the prison's involvement from an initial preview for the series, where a correctional transport appeared with the name painted on the side. During the second episode, we learn which character is probably destined for the prison.
Though we know he did not responsible for the child deaths initially, Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for the crimes. The preview for episode 3, "the upcoming installment," reveals a guard telling a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what they do to kiddie killers in Shawshank?"
The Consequences for the Character and His Daughter
Considering that the real murderer in the town is a primordial entity from another world preying on and murdering children, Hank's chances of proving his innocence appear slim. And even if he ends up in the prison and viewers do not see him inside, knowing what is known about that prison makes it clear that his experience would not be enjoyable.
More importantly, however, this situation would endanger Ronnie. Hank is her protector. Terrible events are happening around Derry that nobody, young or old, comprehends and Ronnie only has her recently formed circle of pals to depend on. She will require her dad as the story progresses, but if Shawshank has any say, she may be out of luck.
A single fact seems clear: Hank lacks 28 years to tunnel his way out.
Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now via the streaming service. Additional installments are released each week each Sunday.
