🔗 Share this article You Should Watch This Legendary Stephen King Film Prior to the Series' Next Episode The series Welcome to Derry is packed with nods to the author's vast universe of narratives. Beyond the clear ties to It, the show showcases an explicit connection to King's famous novel via the cameo of the youthful future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Currently, as the story progresses, Welcome to Derry is weaving in one more classic tale from King which merits another look. The Haunting Tale of The Shawshank Redemption Although The Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as a horror film, especially compared to a lot of King's other writing, it is a haunting story about an wrongfully convicted man sentenced to spend his remaining years in a notorious prison. It is this specific penitentiary which is important in this context, since Shawshank State Prison holds considerable history throughout King's stories — a pattern which persists within It: Welcome to Derry. Some of the tales which mention Shawshank include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these stories, we learn regarding the terrible life at the state penitentiary and several of the inmates within, such as the partner of a belonging to Pennywise's early targets, who had been found guilty of armed robbery. So far, though, the majority we've learned about the prison was through the eyes of the protagonist in Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. Andy winds up in Shawshank after his wrongful conviction, then experiences beaten and raped by fellow inmates, and exploited by those in authority figures for his financial knowledge. It takes nearly three decades to dig an escape route of the prison, prior to crawling "through sewage" to take back his freedom. The Prison's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry Regarding the series, viewers initially discovered of Shawshank's involvement via an early trailer for the series, where a correctional transport appeared bearing the title displayed on its side. In episode 2, it is revealed which character is likely destined for Shawshank. Though it is known he was not responsible for the murders of children in the first episode, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for the crimes. A teaser for episode 3, "Now You See It," reveals an officer telling Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what happens to child murderers in Shawshank?" The Implications for the Character and Ronnie Given that the real killer in the town is a primordial entity from another world hunting and killing children, Hank's prospects of proving his innocence do not look good. And even if he does go to Shawshank and the audience don't follow him inside, understanding what is known regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his experience would not be enjoyable. Crucially, though, this situation could threaten Ronnie. Hank is her guardian. Terrible events are happening around Derry that nobody, young or old, understands and Ronnie only has her new group of friends to depend on. She's going to need her father as the story progresses, however should Shawshank has any say, she could be out of luck. A single fact 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. New episodes are released each week each Sunday.