A newStephen KingTV show tells a standalone story but also reimagines many narrative elements from one of the most celebrated takes on the horror author’s work. The two Stephen King adaptations in question have no direct connections with one another but still seem similar in terms of how they approach their thematic elements.
SomeStephen King adaptations, likeStand By Me,The Shining, andThe Green Mile, have etched themselves in the history of cinema and will always be remembered as the best adaptations of the author’s works. Others, in contrast, have struggled to capture the terrors and emotional weight that define the King of Horror’s works.
Speaking of emotional weight, anon-horror movie based on a Stephen King storyis often touted as one of the greatest films ever made. Interestingly, a new adaptation of King’s work seems to share many intriguing parallels with the highly acclaimed film, despite belonging to a significantly different genre.
Despite Its Supernatural Elements, The Institute Feels A Lot Like The Shawshank Redemption
Both Stories Dabble With Themes Surrounding Freedom, Resistance, and Captivity
WhileThe Institutefalls into Stephen King’s long line of horror novels,The Shawshank Redemptionis among his few non-horror stories. Despite this, the two share many intriguing parallels. For instance,similar toThe Shawshank Redemption,The Institutebegins with a character finding themselves in captivity despite not committing an actual offense.
…Despite facing dire situations, both Luke fromThe Instituteand Andy fromThe Shawshank Redemptionremain rebellious and stand tall against immoral forces.
Main characters from both end up in a highly oppressive institute, where they and their fellow prisoners struggle to hold on to hope. However, despite facing dire situations, bothLuke fromThe InstituteandAndy fromThe Shawshank Redemptionremain rebellious and stand tall against immoral forces.
Both characters put their intelligence to good use as they carefully and patiently devise a long-term escape plan. The authorities in both subject the imprisoned characters to dehumanizing conditions, but they still manage to hold on to their humanity and find family behind bars. With so many similarities between the two,it is hard not to seeThe Instituteas a sci-fi spin onThe Shawshank Redemption.
The Institute Shares Many Narrative Parallels With Several Other Stephen King Stories
It Adopts One Of The Most Common Tropes From Stephen King’s Novels
Illustration of the character Carrie with blood dripping down her face
Many recurring tropes can be found across several Stephen King stories. Among them, the one that seemingly appears the most is children with supernatural abilities.The Institute’s narrative is primarily driven by children with superpowers, who are experimented on by a shady organization.
Stephen King’sFirestartertells a similar story, where an organization called The Shop injects individuals with a drug to give them supernatural powers. Even inThe ShiningandDoctor Sleep, characters possess telekinetic abilities labeled as the titular “shining.” A similar trope is also adapted inStephen King’sCarrie,The Dark Tower,Tommyknockers, and evenThe Stand.
The Institute
A kidnapped prodigy with special abilities, Luke, ends up at The Institute, while Tim, a former cop, seeks a new life in a nearby town. Their fates are inevitably linked.
The Shawshank Redemption
Cast
The Shawshank Redemption follows Andy Dufresne, a banker sentenced to life in Shawshank prison for the murder of his wife and her lover. While incarcerated, he befriends fellow inmate Red and uses his financial skills to assist the corrupt warden, all while maintaining his hope and integrity.
