You Should Watch One Iconic Stephen King Movie Prior to the Series' Upcoming Installment

HBO's It: Welcome to Derry is filled with references to the author's extensive collection of tales. Beyond the clear links to It, the show showcases a direct link to King's famous novel through the cameo of the youthful future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Currently, as the narrative unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in another beloved King story that deserves another look.

The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption

Although Shawshank Redemption isn't typically classified as horror, particularly in contrast with 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. And it's this specific penitentiary which is central in this context, since Shawshank State Prison holds considerable lore throughout King's fictional world — a pattern that continues in Welcome to Derry.

Among the tales that reference Shawshank are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these narratives, we learn about the awful life at the state penitentiary plus some of those imprisoned within, such as the boyfriend of a belonging to Pennywise's early victims, who was found guilty for robbery with a weapon.

So far, though, the most we've learned concerning Shawshank was through the perspective of the protagonist from Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in that 1994 film. The character Andy ends up at the prison after being wrongly convicted, then finds himself beaten and abused by fellow inmates, while exploited by those in authority figures due to his financial knowledge. He requires him 28 years to dig an escape route of the prison, prior to crawling "through sewage" to take back his freedom.

Shawshank's Appearance in Welcome to Derry

In relation to the series, viewers first learned about the prison's involvement via an initial preview for the series, where a prison bus appeared bearing the title displayed on its side. During the second episode, it is revealed who is probably destined for Shawshank.

Though 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), is arrested for the crimes. A teaser for the next episode, "the upcoming installment," reveals an officer telling a jailed Hank, "Do you know what happens to child murderers at that prison?"

The Implications for Hank and His Daughter

Given that the actual murderer in Derry is an ancient power originating elsewhere hunting and murdering kids, Hank's chances of proving his innocence do not look good. And even if he ends up in the prison and viewers don't follow him inside, understanding what we do regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his time there would not be pleasant.

More importantly, though, this development could threaten his daughter. Hank is her protector. Horrible things are happening around Derry which no one, child or adult, understands and Ronnie just has her new group circle of pals to depend on. She will require her dad in the coming episodes, but if the prison system has any say, she could be without help.

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

It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are streaming now via the streaming service. New episodes are released each week on Sundays.