Don't Miss This Iconic Stephen King Cinematic Prior to the Series' Upcoming Installment

HBO's Welcome to Derry is filled with references to Stephen King's vast universe of narratives. Apart from the clear ties to It, the show includes an explicit connection to King's famous novel via the cameo of a young future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Currently, as the story progresses, Welcome to Derry is weaving in another beloved King story which merits another look.

The Haunting Tale of The Shawshank Redemption

While The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically considered a horror film, especially compared to much of King's other writing, it remains a gripping story about an wrongfully convicted man sentenced to spend the rest of his life in a notorious penitentiary. It is that very penitentiary that becomes important here, since the Shawshank facility holds significant history across King's stories — a tradition which persists in Welcome to Derry.

Some of the tales which mention the prison are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Through these stories, we discover about the terrible life inside Shawshank State Prison plus some of the inmates there, including the boyfriend of a belonging to Pennywise's early targets, who was convicted for robbery with a weapon.

Thus far, however, the most we have discovered about the prison was through the eyes of the protagonist from Shawshank Redemption, played by the actor Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. Andy winds up in Shawshank after being wrongly convicted, and experiences beaten and abused by other prisoners, and taken advantage of by the authority figures for his financial knowledge. It takes nearly three decades to tunnel his way out of the prison, before crawling "through sewage" to reclaim his freedom.

The Prison's Appearance in Welcome to Derry

Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, audiences first learned about the prison's inclusion from an initial preview for the series, in which a correctional transport appeared bearing the title painted on the side. In episode 2, we learn who is probably destined for the prison.

Though we know he was not commit the murders of children in the first episode, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for the crimes. The preview for episode 3, "the upcoming installment," reveals a guard telling a jailed Hank, "Do you know what happens to kiddie killers in Shawshank?"

The Consequences for the Character and Ronnie

Considering that the actual murderer in Derry is an ancient power originating elsewhere preying on and killing children, Hank's chances of proving his innocence appear slim. Even should he ends up to Shawshank and the audience do not see him inside, knowing what we do regarding Shawshank indicates that his experience would be far from pleasant.

More importantly, though, this situation would endanger his daughter. Hank is her protector. Horrible things are occurring around Derry which no one, child or adult, comprehends and she just has her new group circle of pals to depend on. She's going to need her dad in the coming episodes, however should Shawshank plays a role, she may be out of luck.

One thing seems clear: Hank lacks 28 years to tunnel his way out.

It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are streaming now via the streaming service. Additional installments air weekly on Sundays.