🔗 Share this article Make Time For One Classic Stephen King Movie Prior to It: Welcome to Derry's Next Episode HBO's It: Welcome to Derry contains numerous references to the author's vast library of stories. Beyond the clear ties to It, the series includes a direct link to King's famous novel through the cameo of a young Dick Hallorann. Now, as the story progresses, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in one more classic tale from King that deserves another look. The Powerful Story of The Shawshank Redemption While Shawshank Redemption isn't typically classified as a horror film, particularly in contrast with a lot of King's other work, it is a gripping story of a wrongfully convicted man condemned to spend his remaining years inside a notorious prison. It is this specific penitentiary which is important in this context, since Shawshank State Prison holds significant history across King's fictional world — a pattern which persists within It: Welcome to Derry. Among the stories which mention the prison are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these stories, we discover regarding the terrible conditions at the state penitentiary and some of the inmates there, such as the partner of one belonging to Pennywise's initial victims, who was convicted for robbery with a weapon. So far, however, the most we have discovered concerning Shawshank has been through the eyes of the protagonist from The Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. The character Andy winds up in Shawshank after being wrongly convicted, and finds himself beaten and raped by fellow inmates, and exploited by the officials in power due to his expertise in finance. He requires nearly three decades to dig an escape route from Shawshank, prior to crawling "through a river of shit" to reclaim his freedom. Shawshank's Role in It: Welcome to Derry In relation to It: Welcome to Derry, viewers initially discovered about the prison's inclusion from an early trailer for the series, where a correctional transport was seen bearing the title painted on the side. In episode 2, we learn which character is likely destined for the prison. Though it is known he was not responsible for the child deaths initially, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for those offenses. The preview for episode 3, "Now You See It," reveals an officer informing Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what they do to kiddie killers at that prison?" The Consequences for Hank and Ronnie Given that the actual murderer in the town is an ancient power from another world hunting and killing kids, Hank's prospects of clearing his name do not look good. Even should he does go to Shawshank and the audience do not see him there, understanding what is known regarding Shawshank indicates that his time there would be far from enjoyable. More importantly, though, this development would endanger his daughter. Hank is her guardian. Horrible things are occurring in the town that nobody, young or old, comprehends and she just has her recently formed of friends to rely on. She's going to need her dad in the coming episodes, but if Shawshank plays a role, she may be out of luck. One thing is apparent: Hank lacks three decades to tunnel 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.