The story, like almost every other Stephen King novel, is set in Maine. Still, the movie was entirely shot in Ohio. The filmmakers used 13 different filming locations that have all become tourist destinations, thanks to die-hard Shawshank fans.
Since 1994, 18,000 people have gone to Ohio to look at these sacred Shawshank sites, bringing in $3 million to the local economy. Who knew that a movie about a banker escaping prison through a poop shoot could be so good for the people of Ohio?
Number 237
Remember room 237 from 'The Shining'? What about the amount of change the boys have in 'Stand by Me'? Well, for those of us who are familiar with Stephen King’s body of work, you'll notice the number 237 is always present throughout his writings.
The Shawshank Redemption’s director, Frank Darabont, decided to include it in the movie. After Andy escapes, the guards yell, “Open 237!” before questioning Red about where Dufresne went.
Red's Story
In the movie, Red's past is a mystery. We only know that he "committed murder." But who did he murder? How? The film doesn't answer any of these questions, but King goes into more detail in his book.
It turns out that Red is serving three life sentences for murdering not only his wife, but also his neighbor's wife and son. Red cut the brakes of his wife's car to collect insurance money. He didn't predict that his neighbor's family would also end up dying in the car when it crashed. Ouch!
Stand-in Hands
Even though Tim Robbins played Andy Dufresne in most scenes, he didn't play the character during the close-up shots of Andy's hands. In fact, they're the hands of director Frank Darabont. He was so particular about the way he wanted Andy's hands to behave that he did it himself in post-production.
So, when Andy's hands load the revolver in the opening scene or carve his name into his cell wall, it's Darabont the whole time.
The Movie Flopped at the Box Office
'The Shawshank Redemption' was a commercial flop before it became a classic. The movie initially made $18 million at the box office, which wasn't even enough to cover the studio's costs. But even though the movie made $10 million more after being nominated for a bunch of Oscars, it was still considered a flop.
The film only became popular after Warner Home Video shipped 320,000 rental copies across the US. Even though many thought that it was risky to distribute so many VHS tapes of the movie, it paid off.