🔗 Share this article Don't Miss This Legendary Stephen King Film Prior to It: Welcome to Derry's Next Episode The series It: Welcome to Derry is packed with references to Stephen King's wide-ranging collection of tales. Apart from the obvious links to the original story, the series includes a direct connection to King's famous novel via the appearance of the youthful Dick Hallorann. Now, as the narrative progresses, Welcome to Derry is integrating another beloved tale from King that deserves a revisit. The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption Although The Shawshank Redemption may not be considered a horror film, particularly compared to much of King's other writing, it remains a haunting tale about an wrongfully convicted man sentenced to spend his remaining years in a infamous penitentiary. And it's that very institution that becomes central in this context, as Shawshank State Prison possesses significant history across King's fictional world — a pattern which persists in It: Welcome to Derry. Some of the tales that reference the prison are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Through these stories, we discover about the terrible life at Shawshank State Prison plus several of the inmates within, such as the boyfriend of a of Pennywise's early targets, who had been found guilty for robbery with a weapon. So far, though, the majority we have discovered concerning Shawshank has been through the perspective of the protagonist in The Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by Tim Robbins in that 1994 film. The character Andy ends up at the prison after his wrongful conviction, and experiences assaulted and raped by fellow inmates, while taken advantage of by the officials in power for his expertise in finance. It takes nearly three decades to dig his way out of the prison, before making his way "through a river of shit" to take back his freedom. Shawshank's Role in It: Welcome to Derry In relation to the series, viewers first learned about the prison's inclusion from an initial preview for the show, where a correctional transport was seen with the name displayed on its side. In episode 2, it is revealed who is probably headed to Shawshank. Although it is known he did not responsible for the murders of children initially, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for those offenses. A teaser for episode 3, "Now You See It," shows an officer telling Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what they do to kiddie killers in Shawshank?" The Consequences for Hank and His Daughter Given that the real murderer in Derry is an ancient power originating elsewhere preying on and murdering children, Hank's chances of proving his innocence appear slim. And even if he does go to Shawshank and the audience don't follow him there, understanding what is known about that prison indicates that his experience would be far from pleasant. More importantly, however, this situation would endanger his daughter. He acts as her protector. Terrible events are happening in the town that nobody, child or adult, understands and Ronnie just has her recently formed of friends to rely on. She's going to need her dad as the story progresses, however should the prison system plays a role, she could be out of luck. One thing seems clear: Hank doesn’t have three decades to dig his way out. It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available on HBO Max. Additional installments are released each week on Sundays.