Mike Flanagan’s credentials as a modern master of the horror genre are without question. The man behind Netflix’s “The Haunting of Hill House” and the upcoming Prime Video series spin on Stephen King’s first novel, “Carrie,” understands how to spook audiences in a way that few filmmakers can rival.
However, perhaps his most impressive feat to date is his 2019 feature film take on Stephen King’s “Doctor Sleep.” It’s not necessarily Flanagan’s best ever effort (that’s still “Hill House” for me), but it was his most complex.
See, the tricky thing about this movie is that it had to function as both a sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 classic “The Shining” and an adaptation of King’s 2013 book. The author famously loathed Kubrick’s interpretation of his iconic work due to the numerous source material changes, so the “Doctor Sleep” novel follows on from the original text and disregards the famous movie. That meant Flanagan was walking a tightrope in his adaptation.
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Somehow, Flanagan pulled off this balancing act and delivered a movie that takes the best ideas from the novel while also functioning as a successor to Kubrick’s spin on “The Shining.” Halloween may now be behind us, but “Doctor Sleep” has just arrived on Netflix, and if you consider yourself even vaguely interested in movies based on Stephen King’s work, it’s a chiller you simply have to watch this weekend. Here’s why it’s such a strong spooker.
What is ‘Doctor Sleep’ about?
STEPHEN KING’S DOCTOR SLEEP – Final Trailer [HD] – YouTube
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Set decades after Danny Torrance’s nightmare ordeal at the Overlook Hotel, where he discovered his supernatural ability to “shine,” Dan (Ewan McGregor) is now an adult, struggling with dark visions, alcohol addiction, and working as an orderly in a hospice.
Trying to leave his trauma behind, he’s drawn back into a dark world of ghostly apparitions when he meets a young girl, Abra (Kyliegh Curran), who shares his curious psychic abilities. At the same time, a gang of vampires, known as the True Knot, is hunting down those who can shine to feed on their life force (known as “steam”) and gain immortality in the process.
Led by the terrifying Rose the Hat (Rebecca Ferguson), when the True Knot learns of Abra’s immense shining power, they seek to hunt her down, forcing Dan into the role of protector. But defeating this new sinister threat might mean coming face-to-face with some old demons.
Here’s why you should stream ‘Doctor Sleep’ on Netflix
(Image credit: Jessica Miglio)
“The Shining” is one of the most iconic horror movies of all time, and “Doctor Sleep” certainly plays up its connection. Marketed as “the next chapter in ‘The Shining’ story,” it references Kubrick’s acclaimed movie throughout, with a third act that goes into full-scale homage as Dan revisits the eerie, now abandoned, Overlook Hotel. If you enjoyed “The Shining,” but somehow haven’t seen this follow-up already, you’re in for a treat with “Doctor Sleep.”
However, most curiously, it’s actually the moments where the movie plays outside of Kubrick’s sandbox that are the most intriguing and certainly the most scary. A scene that sees Rose and her True Knot followers torment and feed on a young boy (played by Jacob Tremblay) is one of the most spine-chilling in any King adaptation to date. After watching more horror movies than I can count, I’m rarely spooked, but this part left me very disturbed.
(Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures / Everett Collection Inc / Alamy)
Speaking of Rose, Rebecca Ferguson is downright skin-crawling as the movie’s unforgettable vampire villain. Ewan McGregor is also strong in the role of a now-grown-up Dan Torrance, and his inner conflict as he battles his demons, both literal and figurative, gives the movie a strong character arc to ground the many hair-raising horror set pieces.
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It’s by no means a flawless movie. Its chunky 152-minute runtime feels overly indulgent (even more so if you opt for the three-hour Director’s Cut), but Mike Flanagan has a lot to cram in here as he leaps between adapting King’s novel and tying everything back to the version of “The Shining” that the majority of viewers are likely to be familiar with. The final product could have been a total mess, so it’s to Flanagan’s credit that it never falls apart.
(Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures / Landmark Media / Alamy)
Novel purists may dislike the radically different ending and the numerous fan service elements; the callbacks to “The Shining” movie are frequent, but I suspect most viewers will greet them with great glee. However, as far as Stephen King adaptations go, “Doctor Sleep” is certainly one of the strongest and, with Mike Flanagan at the helm, among the confidently crafted.
If you’re in the mood for more movies based on the Master of Horror’s novels, here’s our roundup of the best Stephen King movies of all time, and we’ve also been pondering which King books need to be adapted next (yes, “The Dark Tower” is there, but let’s pretend the 2017 film never happened).
Watch “Doctor Sleep” on Netflix now
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