🔗 Share this article Don't Miss This Iconic Stephen King Film Prior to the Series' Upcoming Installment The series It: Welcome to Derry is filled with connections to Stephen King's extensive universe of narratives. Beyond the obvious links to the original story, the show includes an explicit connection to King's famous novel through the appearance of the youthful Dick Hallorann. Currently, as the story progresses, Welcome to Derry is weaving in one more beloved tale from King that deserves a revisit. The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption Although The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically considered a horror film, particularly in contrast with much of King's other work, it remains a gripping story of a innocently imprisoned individual sentenced to spend his remaining years inside a notorious prison. And it's this specific penitentiary that becomes central here, since Shawshank State Prison possesses considerable history across King's stories — a tradition which persists within Welcome to Derry. Among the stories which mention the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Through these stories, we learn about the awful life at the state penitentiary and some of the inmates within, such as the boyfriend of one of Pennywise's initial targets, who was convicted for robbery with a weapon. Thus far, though, the most we've learned concerning Shawshank was through the perspective of the protagonist from Shawshank Redemption, played by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 movie. Andy ends up at the prison after his wrongful conviction, then finds himself assaulted and raped by fellow inmates, and taken advantage of by the officials in power due to his expertise in finance. It takes him 28 years to dig an escape route from Shawshank, before crawling "through sewage" to reclaim his freedom. Shawshank's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, viewers first learned about the prison's involvement via an early trailer for the show, where a prison bus appeared with the name painted on the side. During the second episode, it is revealed who is probably headed to Shawshank. Though it is known he was not commit the murders of children initially, the character Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for the crimes. A teaser for the next episode, "the upcoming installment," shows an officer telling Hank in his cell, "Do you know what happens to kiddie killers in Shawshank?" The Implications for the Character and Ronnie Given that the actual murderer in the town is a primordial entity from another world preying on and killing children, Hank's prospects of proving his innocence appear slim. Even should he ends up to Shawshank and the audience don't follow him there, understanding what is known regarding Shawshank indicates that his experience would not be enjoyable. More importantly, though, this situation could threaten his daughter. He acts as her guardian. Horrible things are happening around Derry that nobody, young or old, comprehends and she only has her new group circle of pals to rely on. She will require her dad as the story progresses, however should Shawshank plays a role, she could be without help. A single fact is apparent: Hank doesn’t have 28 years to dig to freedom. Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now via the streaming service. New episodes air weekly each Sunday.