You Should Watch This Legendary Stephen King Cinematic Before the Series' Upcoming Installment

The series It: Welcome to Derry is packed with references to the author's wide-ranging universe of narratives. Beyond the obvious links to the original story, the series includes a direct link to The Shining via the appearance of a young Dick Hallorann. Now, as the narrative unfolds, Welcome to Derry is weaving in one more classic tale from King that deserves a revisit.

The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption

While Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as a horror film, particularly compared to much of King's other work, it remains a haunting story about an innocently imprisoned man sentenced to spend the rest of his life in a notorious prison. It is that very penitentiary that becomes important here, as Shawshank State Prison holds considerable history throughout King's fictional world — a tradition that continues in Welcome to Derry.

Some of the tales which mention the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these stories, we discover about the awful life at Shawshank State Prison plus several of the inmates within, including the boyfriend of a of Pennywise's initial targets, who had been convicted of armed robbery.

Thus far, however, the majority we've learned concerning Shawshank has been through the eyes of Andy Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. The character Andy winds up in Shawshank following being wrongly convicted, then experiences assaulted and raped by other prisoners, and taken advantage of by the officials in power due to his financial knowledge. He requires him 28 years to dig his way out from Shawshank, before making his way "through sewage" to take back his liberty.

The Prison's Role in Welcome to Derry

Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, viewers first learned of Shawshank's involvement via an initial preview for the show, where a prison bus was seen with the name painted on the side. In episode 2, it is revealed which character is likely destined for the prison.

Though we know he was not responsible for the child deaths initially, Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. The preview for episode 3, "the upcoming installment," reveals a guard informing Hank in his cell, "Do you know what happens to child murderers at that prison?"

The Consequences for the Character and His Daughter

Considering that the real murderer in Derry is an ancient power from another world preying on and killing 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, understanding what is known regarding Shawshank indicates that his time there would not be enjoyable.

More importantly, though, this development could threaten his daughter. Hank is her guardian. Terrible events are occurring in the town which no one, child or adult, understands and Ronnie just has her new group of friends to depend on. She will require her dad as the story progresses, however should the prison system has any say, she could be out of luck.

A single fact is apparent: Hank lacks 28 years to dig to freedom.

Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now on HBO Max. Additional installments air weekly each Sunday.