You Should Watch One Classic Stephen King Cinematic Prior to It: Welcome to Derry's Upcoming Installment

HBO's It: Welcome to Derry is filled with nods to the author's wide-ranging library of stories. Apart from the obvious ties to It, the series showcases an explicit link to The Shining through the appearance of the youthful future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Currently, as the narrative progresses, Welcome to Derry is weaving in another beloved King story that deserves another look.

The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption

Although The Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as horror, particularly compared to a lot of King's other work, it remains a haunting tale about an innocently imprisoned individual condemned to live his remaining years in a infamous prison. It is that very institution that becomes important here, as the Shawshank facility holds significant history throughout King's fictional world — a pattern that continues within It: Welcome to Derry.

Among the tales which mention the prison are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these stories, we learn regarding the awful conditions inside the state penitentiary plus some of the inmates within, including the boyfriend of one belonging to Pennywise's early targets, who was convicted of armed robbery.

Thus far, though, the majority we have discovered concerning Shawshank has been via the eyes of the protagonist in The Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by Tim Robbins in that 1994 film. Andy ends up at the prison after his wrongful conviction, and finds himself beaten and abused by fellow inmates, and taken advantage of by those in officials in power due to his expertise in finance. He requires him 28 years to dig an escape route from Shawshank, prior to crawling "through sewage" to take back his liberty.

The Prison's Role in It: Welcome to Derry

Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, viewers first learned of Shawshank's involvement via an early trailer for the series, in which a prison bus appeared with the name painted on the side. During the second episode, it is revealed which character is probably headed to the prison.

Although it is known he did not responsible for the murders of children in the first episode, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for the crimes. The preview for episode 3, "Now You See It," reveals a guard informing a jailed Hank, "Do you know what happens to kiddie killers at that prison?"

The Consequences for Hank and His Daughter

Considering that the actual killer in the town is an ancient power from another world preying on and killing kids, Hank's prospects of clearing his name do not look good. Even should he does go to Shawshank and the audience don't follow him there, understanding what we do about that prison indicates that his time there would not be pleasant.

More importantly, though, this situation would endanger Ronnie. He acts as her guardian. Terrible events are happening around Derry that nobody, child or adult, understands and she just has her new group circle of pals to depend on. She will require her father in the coming episodes, but if 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.


Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are streaming now via the streaming service. Additional installments are released each week on Sundays.

Michele Reeves
Michele Reeves

A tech enthusiast and writer with a passion for exploring cutting-edge innovations and sharing actionable insights.