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HBO's It: Welcome to Derry is filled with references to the author's extensive universe of narratives. Beyond the obvious links to It, the series also features an explicit connection to The Shining via the appearance of a young Dick Hallorann. Currently, as the narrative unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in one more beloved tale from King that deserves another look.

The Haunting Tale of The Shawshank Redemption

While The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically classified as a horror film, especially in contrast with a lot of the author's additional work, it is a gripping tale about an wrongfully convicted individual condemned to live his remaining years in a notorious penitentiary. And it's this specific institution that becomes central here, since Shawshank State Prison possesses significant history throughout King's stories — a pattern which persists within It: Welcome to Derry.

Among the stories that reference the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Through these stories, we discover about the awful life inside the state penitentiary and some of those imprisoned there, including the boyfriend of one of Pennywise's early targets, who had been convicted of armed robbery.

So far, though, the majority we've learned concerning Shawshank was via the eyes of Andy Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. The character Andy ends up at the prison following being wrongly convicted, and finds himself assaulted and abused by other prisoners, and exploited by those in officials in power for his expertise in finance. It takes nearly three decades to tunnel an escape route of the prison, prior to crawling "through sewage" to take back his liberty.

The Prison's Role in Welcome to Derry

Regarding the series, audiences first learned of Shawshank's inclusion from an early trailer for the show, in which a correctional transport appeared with the name painted on the side. During the second episode, we learn which character is probably destined for the prison.

Although we know he was not responsible for the child deaths in the first episode, Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for the crimes. The preview for episode 3, "Now You See It," shows a guard telling a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what they do to child murderers at that prison?"

The Implications for the Character and His Daughter

Considering that the real murderer in the town is an ancient power from another world preying on and murdering children, Hank's chances of clearing his name appear slim. Even should he does go to Shawshank and viewers don't follow him inside, knowing what is known regarding Shawshank indicates that his experience would not be enjoyable.

Crucially, however, this situation would endanger Ronnie. He acts as her guardian. Horrible things are occurring in the town which no one, child or adult, understands and Ronnie only has her recently formed circle of pals to depend on. She will require her father in the coming episodes, however should Shawshank has any say, she could be without help.

One thing seems clear: Hank doesn’t have three decades to tunnel to freedom.

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It: Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now on HBO Max. Additional installments air weekly on Sundays.