🔗 Share this article You Should Watch This Classic Stephen King Movie Prior to the Series' Next Episode HBO's It: Welcome to Derry is packed with nods to the author's wide-ranging library of stories. Apart from the clear links to It, the show includes a direct link to The Shining via the appearance of a young Dick Hallorann. Now, as the narrative unfolds, Welcome to Derry is integrating another classic tale from King which merits another look. The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption Although Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as a horror film, especially in contrast with much of the author's additional work, it remains a gripping tale about an innocently imprisoned individual condemned to spend the rest of his life in a notorious penitentiary. And it's this specific institution that becomes central here, as the Shawshank facility possesses considerable lore across King's stories — a pattern that continues within Welcome to Derry. Among the tales which mention the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these stories, we discover regarding the awful life inside Shawshank State Prison plus some of those imprisoned within, including the boyfriend of a belonging to Pennywise's early victims, who was found guilty for robbery with a weapon. So far, however, the majority we've learned concerning Shawshank was via the eyes of Andy Dufresne from The Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. Andy ends up in Shawshank following his wrongful conviction, and finds himself beaten and raped by fellow inmates, while taken advantage of by those in officials in power due to his financial knowledge. It takes him 28 years to dig his way out from Shawshank, prior to crawling "through sewage" to take back his liberty. The Prison's Role in It: Welcome to Derry In relation to It: Welcome to Derry, audiences first learned of Shawshank's inclusion from an initial preview for the show, in which a correctional transport appeared with the name displayed on its side. During the second episode, it is revealed which character is likely destined for the prison. Although we know he was not commit the child deaths in the first episode, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for those offenses. The preview for the next episode, "Now You See It," shows an officer telling a jailed Hank, "Do you know what they do to kiddie killers at that prison?" The Implications for the Character and Ronnie Given that the actual murderer in the town is an ancient power originating elsewhere preying on and murdering kids, Hank's chances of proving his innocence appear slim. And even if he ends up to Shawshank and the audience don't follow him there, knowing what is known regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his time there would be far from enjoyable. More importantly, though, this development could threaten Ronnie. Hank is her guardian. Terrible events are happening in the town that nobody, young or old, comprehends and Ronnie just has her recently formed of friends to rely on. She will require her father as the story progresses, but if Shawshank has any say, she could be out of luck. A single fact seems clear: Hank lacks 28 years to tunnel his way out. It: Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are currently available via the streaming service. New episodes are released each week each Sunday.