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

HBO's It: Welcome to Derry contains numerous references to Stephen King's vast collection of tales. Apart from the clear links to It, the show also features an explicit link to King's famous novel through the appearance of the youthful future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Currently, as the story progresses, Welcome to Derry is weaving in one more beloved tale from King which merits another look.

The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption

While Shawshank Redemption isn't typically considered a horror film, particularly compared to a lot of King's other writing, it is a gripping tale of a innocently imprisoned individual condemned to spend the rest of his life in a infamous prison. And it's that very penitentiary which is central here, as Shawshank State Prison holds considerable history throughout King's fictional world — a tradition that continues within It: Welcome to Derry.

Among the tales which mention the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Through these narratives, we discover regarding the awful conditions inside Shawshank State Prison plus some of those imprisoned there, including the partner of one belonging to Pennywise's initial targets, who had been convicted for robbery with a weapon.

So far, though, the most we've learned concerning Shawshank has been through the eyes of the protagonist from The Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by Tim Robbins in that 1994 film. Andy winds up in Shawshank following his wrongful conviction, then finds himself assaulted and raped by fellow inmates, while taken advantage of by those in officials in power for his financial knowledge. It takes him 28 years to tunnel an escape route of the prison, prior to crawling "through a river of shit" to reclaim his freedom.

The Prison's Appearance in Welcome to Derry

In relation to the series, viewers initially discovered of Shawshank's involvement via an initial preview for the series, where a correctional transport was seen with the name displayed on its side. During the second episode, it is revealed which character is probably destined for the prison.

Though we know he did not commit the child deaths in the first episode, the character Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for the crimes. The preview for the next episode, "the upcoming installment," shows an officer telling Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what they do to kiddie killers in Shawshank?"

The Consequences for the Character and Ronnie

Given that the actual killer in Derry is a primordial entity originating elsewhere hunting and murdering kids, Hank's prospects of proving his innocence do not look good. And even if he does go to Shawshank and viewers do not see him inside, knowing what we do about that prison makes it clear that his time there would not be pleasant.

More importantly, however, this development could threaten Ronnie. Hank is her protector. Horrible things are occurring around Derry that nobody, young or old, understands and Ronnie only has her recently formed circle of pals to rely on. She will require her dad in the coming episodes, but if the prison system plays a role, she could be without help.

One thing seems clear: Hank doesn’t have three decades to tunnel to freedom.

It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available via the streaming service. Additional installments air weekly each Sunday.