🔗 Share this article You Should Watch One Iconic Stephen King Movie Prior to the Series' Upcoming Installment HBO's Welcome to Derry contains numerous connections to Stephen King's wide-ranging library of stories. Beyond the clear ties to It, the series showcases a direct link to King's famous novel via the appearance of the youthful Dick Hallorann. Currently, as the story progresses, Welcome to Derry is integrating another beloved tale from King that deserves a revisit. The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption While The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically considered a horror film, especially in contrast with a lot of King's other writing, it is a haunting story of a innocently imprisoned individual sentenced to spend his remaining years in a infamous penitentiary. And it's this specific penitentiary that becomes central in this context, since Shawshank State Prison holds significant lore throughout King's fictional world — a pattern that continues in It: Welcome to Derry. Some of the stories that reference the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these narratives, we discover about the awful life at the state penitentiary and several of the inmates within, such as the partner of a of Pennywise's early victims, who had been convicted of armed robbery. Thus far, though, the most we have discovered about the prison was through the perspective of the protagonist in Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by Tim Robbins in the 1994 movie. The character Andy winds up at the prison following his wrongful conviction, and experiences assaulted and raped by other prisoners, and exploited by the authority figures for his expertise in finance. He requires nearly three decades to dig an escape route from Shawshank, before crawling "through a river of shit" to take back his liberty. The Prison's Role in Welcome to Derry In relation to It: Welcome to Derry, audiences initially discovered of Shawshank's inclusion from an initial preview for the series, in which a correctional transport was seen bearing the title painted on the side. In episode 2, we learn which character is likely headed to the prison. Though we know he was not responsible for the child deaths in the first episode, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. A teaser for the next episode, "the upcoming installment," shows a guard telling a jailed Hank, "Do you know what happens to child murderers at that prison?" The Consequences for the Character and His Daughter Given that the real murderer in the town is a primordial entity from another world preying on and killing kids, Hank's chances of proving his innocence appear slim. And even if he does go in the prison and the audience do not see him there, knowing what is known regarding Shawshank indicates that his time there would be far from pleasant. Crucially, though, this development could threaten Ronnie. He acts as her protector. Horrible things are happening around Derry which no one, young or old, understands and she just has her new group circle of pals to rely on. She's going to need her dad as the story progresses, however should Shawshank has any say, she could be without help. A single fact is apparent: Hank lacks 28 years to dig to freedom. Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are currently available on HBO Max. Additional installments are released each week on Sundays.