You Should Watch This Iconic Stephen King Movie Before the Series' Upcoming Installment

HBO's It: Welcome to Derry contains numerous references to the author's wide-ranging collection of tales. Beyond the clear ties to the original story, the series also features a direct link to The Shining via the cameo of a young future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Now, as the narrative unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in one more classic tale from King that deserves another look.

The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption

While The Shawshank Redemption may not be considered a horror film, particularly compared to a lot of the author's additional work, it remains a gripping tale of a wrongfully convicted individual sentenced to live the rest of his life inside a notorious penitentiary. And it's that very penitentiary which is important in this context, as Shawshank State Prison possesses significant lore throughout King's stories — a tradition that continues in It: Welcome to Derry.

Among the stories that reference Shawshank are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these narratives, we discover about the awful conditions inside Shawshank State Prison plus some of those imprisoned within, such as the boyfriend of a belonging to Pennywise's early victims, who had been found guilty for robbery with a weapon.

Thus far, though, the majority we have discovered about the prison has been via the eyes of Andy Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption, played by the actor Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. The character Andy winds up in Shawshank following being wrongly convicted, then experiences assaulted and raped by other prisoners, while exploited by the officials in power for his expertise in finance. It takes nearly three decades to dig his way out of the prison, prior to making his way "through a river of shit" to take back his freedom.

The Prison's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry

In relation to the series, viewers initially discovered about the prison's involvement via an early trailer for the show, where a correctional transport was seen bearing the title displayed on its side. In episode 2, it is revealed which character is likely destined for the prison.

Although it is known he was not commit the child deaths in the first episode, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. A teaser for the next episode, "the upcoming installment," shows an officer telling Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what happens to kiddie killers in Shawshank?"

The Implications for Hank and Ronnie

Given that the real killer in Derry is an ancient power originating elsewhere hunting and killing kids, Hank's prospects of clearing his name do not look good. Even should he ends up in the prison and viewers do not see him inside, understanding what we do regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his time there would not be enjoyable.

Crucially, though, this situation would endanger Ronnie. He acts as her guardian. Terrible events are happening in the town that nobody, young or old, understands and she just has her new group circle of pals to rely on. She will require her father as the story progresses, but if Shawshank has any say, she may be out of luck.

A single fact seems clear: Hank doesn’t have three decades to dig to freedom.

It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are streaming now via the streaming service. New episodes air weekly each Sunday.