Is The Shawshank Redemption Based On A True Story?

Nearly 30 years after its release, audiences are still asking, is The Shawshank Redemption a true story? The Shawshank Redemption follows banker Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), a man sentenced to life in prison in 1947 despite insisting he is innocent. While incarcerated, he strikes up a friendship with lifelong prisoner Red (Morgan Freeman) while dealing with the corrupt warden and guards who run the prison. Despite the grim and sometimes brutal setting of the story, it is a tale about finding hope in the most unlikely of places. With such an inspiring tale, fans still wonder if The Shawshank Redemption is a true story.

The Shawshank Redemption is one of the rare Hollywood stories in which a movie bombs upon its release only to be discovered as a masterpiece later on. Even with the financial disappointment, the movie was a critical success, earning seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. Its reputation only improved from there with audiences gradually discovering it and praising it, leading to The Shawshank Redemption being named the top-rated movie on IMDb, a title it still holds. As a testament to the story and how it impacted audiences, there is still some question about whether or not The Shawshank Redemption is a true story.

RELATED: Every Stephen King Movie Ranked, From Worst To Best

The Shawshank Redemption Is Based On A Stephen King Novella

The answer to the question “is the Shawshank Redemption a true story” is simply that it is not. Instead, the movie is based on a novella from famed author Stephen King. The original title of the source material is Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, referring to one of Andy Dufresne’s posters seen in The Shawshank Redemption. The novella was adapted by Frank Darabont who went on to direct the movie as well.

The movie greatly expanded on King’s work as well, changing the fates of several key characters, including the famous scene of Brooks hanging himself after leaving prison. The villains of the book, like Warden Norton, are also much eviler in the movie and as such get a more satisfying comeuppance. One of the most famous changes came from the brilliant casting of Morgan Freeman in the role of Red as the character was written as a red-headed Irish man in the book. The ending is also notably different as the book ends with Red setting out to meet Andy while the decision for the movie to end with their reunion is one of The Shawshank Redemption’s best changes.

Shawshank Is A Real Prison

While the answer to “is Shawshank Redemption a true story?” is no, Shawshank Prison is mentioned in several of Stephen King’s works and the jail scenes where The Shawshank Redemption takes place were filmed in a real Ohio prison. Though the movie is technically set in Maine, principal photography primarily took place in Mansfield, Ohio, with the Ohio State Reformatory being the film’s shooting location. The historic prison was built between 1886 and 1910, remaining operational until 1990 when it was shut down. It has served as a filming location for movies, like Tango & Cash and Air Force One, and is now a tourist attraction proving how many fans love to watch The Shawshank Redemption.

The Shawshank Redemption isn’t based on a true story, so why do some make that assumption? It could have something to do with the similarities in a real-life escaped prisoner incarcerated at the same penitentiary in which the movie was filmed. An inmate named Frank Freshwaters escaped incarceration in 1959 after being sentenced to 20 years at the Ohio State Reformatory. While Freshwaters, like Andy, discovered the benefits of befriending prison officials, he did not tunnel his way to freedom. The convict was also captured 56 years after escaping, a fate that would have greatly altered the ending of The Shawshank Redemption. Despite the similarities, audiences simply have to accept Shawshank as a pioneering work of fiction rather than a true-to-life chronicle.

What Stephen King Thinks Of The Shawshank Redemption

Though fans ask “is The Shawshank Redemption a true story,” perhaps the more important question is “what does Stephen King think of the adaptation?” King openly dislikes Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining despite being called one of the best horror movies by many people. It proves King can be a harsh critic when it comes to adaptations of his work. Luckily, King has nothing but praise for The Shawshank Redemption, describe the first time he saw it (via: Oscars) “I realized he’d made not just one of the best movies ever done from my work, but a potential movie classic.”

King also pointed to the fact that Frank Darabont seemed drawn to the non-supernatural aspects of King’s massive collection of works. This highlights why The Shawshank Redemption was such an important adaptation of King’s writing. He had already been established as a horror icon with many of his novels being adapted into movies. However, aside from Stand By Me, this was the first time a movie showcased King’s non-supernatural storytelling. While he might get pegged as a genre writer by some, The Shawshank Redemption reminded people that King’s writing can also be about human stories.

The Shawshank Redemption Isn’t The Only Movie Mistaken For A True Story

While The Shawshank Redemption isn’t based on a true story, it is not uncommon for audiences to make this assumption about other movies as well. There are a lot of interesting examples of movies people thought were based on true stories only for them to realize it is pure fiction. There are certain films that carry a grounded feel such as the Tom Hanks movie Cast Away and, more recently, Tar that feel like some that could easily have happened in the real world.

Then there are movies that purposely mislead audiences into thinking they are true stories. Horror movies are known for stretching the truth as films like The Amityville Horror and Braveheart taking a real-life figure and tell a fictional story about him. It can also be used as a clever way of luring the audience in as The Blair Witch Project did in marketing the found-footage movie as a real documentary. The Coen Brothers also gleefully lied to the audience in the opening of Fargo with the text telling them the movie depicts an event that took place in Minnesota in 1987 despite the fact that the entire thing, including that text, is a work of fiction.

Whatever reason audiences mistake a movie for a true story, it is a testament to the film itself. As is the case with The Shawshank Redemption, there is something about the story and the characters that strike a chord and holds a feeling of realism with audiences. The fact that it is not a true story does not take away from the movie, but the feeling that it could be is something special about The Shawshank Redemption.