You Should Watch This Iconic Stephen King Cinematic Before the Series' Next Episode

HBO's It: Welcome to Derry is filled with references to the author's vast collection of tales. Beyond the obvious ties to It, the show also features an explicit connection to King's famous novel through the appearance of a young Dick Hallorann. Now, as the narrative progresses, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in one more classic tale from King which merits a revisit.

The Powerful Story of The Shawshank Redemption

While Shawshank Redemption isn't typically classified as horror, particularly compared to a lot of the author's additional writing, it remains a haunting story of a innocently imprisoned individual condemned to live his remaining years inside a notorious prison. It is this specific penitentiary which is important in this context, since Shawshank State Prison holds considerable history throughout King's fictional world — a tradition that continues within It: Welcome to Derry.

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

So far, however, the most we've learned about the prison was through the eyes of Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption, played by the actor Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. Andy ends up at the prison following being wrongly convicted, then finds himself assaulted and raped by fellow inmates, and taken advantage of by those in officials in power due to his expertise in finance. It takes him 28 years to dig his way out of the prison, prior to crawling "through a river of shit" to reclaim his liberty.

The Prison's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry

In relation to It: Welcome to Derry, audiences first learned about the prison's inclusion via an early trailer for the series, in which a correctional transport appeared bearing the title painted on the side. In episode 2, it is revealed who is likely destined for Shawshank.

Although it is known he was not responsible for the child deaths initially, 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," reveals an officer informing Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what happens to child murderers in Shawshank?"

The Consequences for Hank and His Daughter

Considering that the actual killer in the town is a primordial entity from another world preying on and killing kids, Hank's chances of proving his innocence do not look good. And even if he does go in the prison and viewers don't follow him inside, knowing what is known about that prison makes it clear that his time there would not be pleasant.

More importantly, however, this development could threaten his daughter. Hank is her protector. Terrible events are happening in the town which no one, child or adult, understands and Ronnie only has her recently formed circle of pals to depend on. She's going to need her dad as the story progresses, but if the prison system plays a role, she may be out of luck.

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

Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now via the streaming service. Additional installments air weekly on Sundays.