You Should Watch This Classic Stephen King Movie Before the Series' Next Episode

The series It: Welcome to Derry is filled with nods to Stephen King's wide-ranging collection of tales. Beyond the obvious ties to It, the show includes a direct link to The Shining via the appearance of the youthful Dick Hallorann. Currently, as the story unfolds, Welcome to Derry is weaving in another classic King story which merits another look.

The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption

Although The Shawshank Redemption may not be considered horror, particularly compared to a lot of the author's additional work, it remains a haunting tale of a wrongfully convicted individual sentenced to spend his remaining years in a infamous penitentiary. It is this specific institution which is important here, as Shawshank State Prison holds considerable history across King's stories — a tradition that continues within It: Welcome to Derry.

Some of the stories that reference the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these narratives, we learn regarding the terrible life inside Shawshank State Prison and some of those imprisoned within, such as the boyfriend of one belonging to Pennywise's early targets, who had been convicted for robbery with a weapon.

Thus far, however, the most we've learned about the prison has been through the eyes of the protagonist in Shawshank Redemption, played by the actor Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. The character Andy ends up in Shawshank following being wrongly convicted, then experiences beaten and abused by other prisoners, and taken advantage of by the authority figures due to his expertise in finance. He requires nearly three decades to dig an escape route of the prison, prior to making his way "through a river of shit" to reclaim his freedom.

The Prison's Role in Welcome to Derry

In relation to the series, audiences initially discovered of Shawshank's inclusion via an early trailer for the series, where a prison bus appeared bearing the title displayed on its side. In episode 2, we learn which character is probably headed to Shawshank.

Although it is known he did not commit the child deaths in the first episode, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for the crimes. A teaser for episode 3, "Now You See It," reveals a guard informing Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what they do to child murderers at that prison?"

The Implications for the Character and Ronnie

Considering that the actual murderer in the town is an ancient power originating elsewhere preying on and murdering children, Hank's prospects of clearing his name do not look good. Even should he does go in the prison and viewers do not see him there, understanding what we do regarding Shawshank indicates that his time there would be far from pleasant.

Crucially, however, this situation would endanger his daughter. Hank is her guardian. Terrible events are happening around Derry that nobody, young or old, understands and she just has her recently formed circle of pals to rely on. She's going to need her dad in the coming episodes, but if Shawshank has any say, she may be without help.

A single fact seems clear: Hank lacks three decades to dig his way out.

It: Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now on HBO Max. New episodes are released each week on Sundays.