by Mike Lunsford, GGR Editor

Stephen King is my favorite writer. It’s not even a contest. The man has created some of the scariest stories of all time and continues to churn out more work well into his 70s. Not only does he do horror incredibly well, he also has written some excellent science fiction and stories like The Shawshank Redemption that show his range. Of all the famous books of his, my favorite is The Shining. Back in 2013, Mr. King released the sequel to The Shining titled Doctor Sleep. The long awaited sequel was a perfect blend of King’s styles: there were parts that were gruesome and made your skin crawl but also some that were inspiring and touching.

In the early days of GGR, I wrote a review of the novel and discussed how it fits well with its predecessor, The Shining. With the release of Doctor Sleep as a major motion picture starring Ewan McGregor last year, I knew that I would want to do a “What to Watch” for the silver screen version as well. Its existence alone raised questions about how it would be made: would it take its cues from Kubrick’s legendary film adaptation of The Shining or would it be a direct sequel to the book? The two properties had some major differences that Stephen King has not been shy about sharing his distaste with anyone who will listen. I was curious how they would manage this with a feature film. I didn’t catch it in theaters, but it’s finally available on a streaming service (HBO Max) so I dove right in.

For you spoiler-free folks out there, I give this movie 8 out of 10 stars. Yes, it is that good and I probably should have made the time to see this in the theater. Doctor Sleep manages to blend both versions of The Shining as its predecessor and then takes liberties with the source material to make a uniquely interesting film that is horrifying, exciting, and captivating. Even if you’ve read the book, you won’t know exactly what is coming but will be satisfied nonetheless. The rest of this review will be spoiler-laden. Avoid any words after Danny on his big wheel if you want to steer clear.

Danny Torrance is a gifted little boy. He has the ability to “shine,” a psychic power that allows him to telepathically speak to others with the same ability but also to read other people’s thoughts, see visions of the past and future, and the most frightening aspect, see the spirits of the dead. I want to clarify this next part because the book version of The Shining and the movie are different, so let’s establish which version this film uses as its basis. When we last saw the Torrance family, Jack was trying to murder Danny and Wendy with an axe after the spirits of the Overlook Hotel convinced him to do so. Danny and Wendy escape via a snowmobile and Jack ends up a frozen corpse in the hedge maze.

Danny and Wendy now live in Florida. The haunts of the Overlook didn't stay in Colorado though, as they continue to harass young Danny. With the help of his old friend, Dick Hallorann in spirit form (Carl Lumbly, Supergirl), Danny learns how to protect himself from the ghosts of his past. As Danny gets older, he follows the same path of his father. His reasoning may be different than Jack's, as Dan (Ewan McGregor, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith) uses alcohol as a way to suppress his shining ability, but the results are the same. Dan becomes an alcoholic. All the repressed fear and anger he felt from his frightening powers, the abuse he received at the hands of his father, not being able to protect his mother, it all comes out when he drinks as he violently beats a man with a billiards ball. He hits "rock bottom" after a run-in with a single mother in New Jersey when he steals money from her purse while she’s passed out and her young child is crying for her. He uses the money to get a bus ticket.

He eventually settles in a small New Hampshire town and finds a few people who are willing to help him straighten his life out. He decides to stop drinking with the help of his friend and sponsor, Billy Freeman (Cliff Curtis, Fear the Walking Dead) and get's a part time job as a groundskeeper. He then picks up full time work at a hospice after meeting Doctor John Dalton (Bruce Greenwood, Star Trek Into Darkness) at an AA meeting. With his sobriety, his abilities re-awaken and he uses them to help the elderly in a nursing home. His shining helps those near death see their favorite memories vividly and loved ones, helping them pass peacefully. He picks up the nickname "Doctor Sleep."

We get introduced to a young girl named Abra (Kyliegh Curran). She has the ability to shine as well but is much more powerful than Dan. They begin to establish a psychic connection and communicate via a chalkboard in Dan’s room. One night, Abra psychically witnesses a young boy with shining abilities ritualistically tortured and killed by a vampire-like group known as the True Knot. They feed off the pain and suffering of others, but grow even stronger if the pain and suffering comes from someone with the shining ability, which they refer to as "steam." As Abra telepathically witnesses this cold-blooded murder, the True Knot's leader Rose the Hat (Rebecca Ferguson, Mission Impossible - Fallout), feels Abra's presence. Blown away by Abra’s power, Rose formulates a plan to kidnap her and feed off of her "steam" for years. Abra begs Dan for his assistance in stopping the True Knot.

I’m not going to give you a blow by blow account of how the movie plays out, it’s too damn good to spoil it like that. This movie has become a new favorite for me. Now, there is an automatic bias that I have as Doctor Sleep is one of my favorite books of all time, however that almost never translates into a great movie as a book lover’s expectations are high. This movie is that good.

Director Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House) manages to make a solid film that takes some liberties with the source material. The first hurdle he had in writing the screenplay and directing Doctor Sleep is that when Stephen King wrote the book, he had no reason to include any of the major changes that Kubrick made in his version of The Shining. However, a film adaptation that is a sequel to that story does not have that luxury. A film sequel needs to address its film predecessor. Flanagan had a lot to contend with. He had to make both fans of King’s version and Kubrick’s film happy with Doctor Sleep and he pulls it off admirably.

Now, I want to be clear about this film. It is a horror movie. It’s not a gore-fest but it is unsettling at points. There are particular scenes that were difficult to watch personally, but also could be hard for others. For example, this movie could be difficult to watch for those who have struggled with alcoholism or other substance abuse issues. When it comes to the traditionally horrifying parts, they made me squirm, turn away from the screen, and sick to my stomach. The previously mentioned ritualistic murder of a young boy is graphic and hard to watch. It is a reminder that this is a horror movie about the evil of the True Knot…and it’s also 100% accurate to the book. Flanagan does not shy away from this scene nor does he avoid the haunting imagery that comes with the reawakening of Dan’s shining and the reminder of his past deeds.

The acting is superb as well. Ewan McGregor feels like a grown up Danny Torrance and gives a stellar performance. The aforementioned Rebecca Ferguson does a masterful job as Rose the Hat. She is exactly as I imagined her: beautiful but a frightening monster consumed by a blood lust. The role of “baseball boy” Bradley Trevor was played by Jacob Tremblay who did an outstanding job, so good it turned my stomach.

My only issue with this movie was the ending. As mentioned above, Mike Flanagan had a difficult task in front of him, having to alter the story of Doctor Sleep to match up with Kubrick’s version while retaining the essence of the novel. He does accomplish this, and his version of the ending is creative and satisfying. However, I wanted to see the book version. They have similar elements, parts that were exciting to see on the big screen, but they tell different stories because of the differences. It makes sense given what Flanagan had to work with, and it is ultimately a good ending. In fact, this version has some unexpected twists. I still walked away from the film thoroughly entertained, enough so that I have already re-watched the movie.

There’s nothing worse than having a book you love get turned into a movie and it being a poor depiction. This was far from that. From Mike Flanagan’s direction and screenplay to the performances of Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, and the rest of the cast, Doctor Sleep is a well executed version of the story. It’s not a direct adaptation of the novel, it’s not a direct sequel to Kubrick’s film, it’s somewhere in between, creating it’s own narrative that shows respect to both King and Kubrick. It is well balanced, and worth your time. I recommend the Director’s Cut as both it and the Theatrical version are available to watch on HBO Max.

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