Don't Miss This Legendary Stephen King Film Prior to It: Welcome to Derry's Upcoming Installment
The series Welcome to Derry contains numerous nods to Stephen King's wide-ranging collection of tales. Apart from the clear ties to the original story, the show showcases an explicit link to The Shining via the cameo of a young future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Now, as the story progresses, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in one more classic tale from King which merits another look.
The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption
Although Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as a horror film, especially compared to much of the author's additional work, it is a haunting story about an wrongfully convicted man condemned to live his remaining years inside a infamous prison. And it's this specific penitentiary that becomes important in this context, since Shawshank State Prison holds considerable lore across King's stories — a pattern that continues within Welcome to Derry.
Some of the tales that reference Shawshank include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these narratives, we discover regarding the terrible conditions at the state penitentiary plus some of those imprisoned there, including the boyfriend of one belonging to Pennywise's early victims, who was convicted for robbery with a weapon.
So far, however, the majority we have discovered concerning Shawshank has been via the eyes of the protagonist in Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. Andy ends up at the prison after his wrongful conviction, then experiences assaulted and raped by fellow inmates, and taken advantage of by the authority figures due to his expertise in finance. It takes him 28 years to tunnel his way out of the prison, prior to making his way "through a river of shit" to take back his freedom.
The Prison's Role in It: Welcome to Derry
In relation to the series, audiences first learned about the prison's involvement from an early trailer for the show, where a prison bus appeared with the name painted on the side. In episode 2, we learn who is likely destined for Shawshank.
Although it is known he was not commit the child deaths in the first episode, the character Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. The preview for the next episode, "Now You See It," reveals an officer informing a jailed Hank, "Do you know what happens to child murderers in Shawshank?"
The Implications for the Character and His Daughter
Given that the real murderer in Derry is a primordial entity from another world preying on and murdering kids, Hank's prospects of proving his innocence appear slim. Even should he does go in the prison and viewers don't follow him inside, understanding what we do about that prison indicates that his experience would be far from pleasant.
More importantly, though, this development could threaten Ronnie. Hank is her protector. Horrible things are happening in the town that nobody, child or adult, comprehends and she just has her recently formed circle of pals to rely on. She's going to need her father in the coming episodes, but if Shawshank plays a role, she may be without help.
One thing is apparent: Hank doesn’t have three decades to tunnel to freedom.
Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available via the streaming service. Additional installments are released each week on Sundays.
