REDRUM - Doctor Sleep (REVIEW)

written by Justin Prince (@prince_justin)

An adaptation and a sequel, taking the source material of Stephen King’s book while also honoring the Stanley Kubrick film adaptation of The Shining was a mountain of a task, but unlike the 1980 film that… while an important piece of cinema… is famously hated by King, Doctor Sleep finds a way to honor the 1980 film while also honoring Stephen King’s source material.

Doctor Sleep follows Danny Torrence (Ewan McGregor), now going by Dan, as an adult who is still haunted by the events that transpired at the Overlook all those years ago. Establishing that those that shine aren’t truly gone, the old cook from the Overlook that Jack Torrence hacked to death… Dick Hallorann… acts as a sort of spiritual guide for Dan, teaching him to lock away the ghost from the Overlook who still haunt him. Set to clean up his act, Dan moves to a new town and gives up drinking in the hopes of not following in his father’s footsteps. It’s here that the shine continues to follow him when Abra Stone, a particularly powerful young girl with the same gifts, begin communicating with Dan.

Another major thread thread here tying the events together is the existence of a cult called the True Knot, led by their charismatic leader Rose the Hat, this group is comprised of gifted individuals who also possess the shining, but what they do with is is truly appalling. To stave off death and essentially live forever, they brutally murder children who exhibit the same gift. The sickening combination of fear and pain help purify the essence of the child’s powers, creating a steam that these pseudo-vampires consume… making this immortality possible. When Abra Stone is placed directly in Rose the Hat’s crosshairs, Dan is forced to decide whether to answer to call to action or stay in hiding with his quiet life.

Doctor Sleep’s film adaptation is a strange beast, it acts as a sequel to the 1980 Kubrick film while attempting to stay true to Stephen King’s novel. The biggest thing that Doctor Sleep’s state of the world has that differs from the novel is the Overlook Hotel. In the Shining’s original ending, the Overlook was destroyed in the finale, killing Jack Torrence with it, but with this film acting as a sequel to the 1980 film… the Overlook very much still exists since Jack’s death was altered dramatically. I’ve read both of King’s novels and I can say that this film does an amazing job of staying true to both. While it does change some of the setting of the film, the Overlook still standing does work here. Even the film’s climax where Dan and Abra lure Rose the Hat to the Overlook for one final confrontation make for a callback to the original that doesn’t feel forced. As far as the original film versus the novel goes, I’ve personally always loved the original 1980 film. It has a different feel to it, but I felt like the film version established the Overlook Hotel as a character better than the book did. The same can be said for the film adaptation of Doctor Sleep, with the Overlook still standing, the “character” of the Overlook Hotel gets a more fulfilling arc than the original novel depicted.

As a thriller, one criticism I have for Doctor Sleep is how it felt less like an uncomfortable horror film, full of suspense, but instead seemed more like a crime thriller without the who-dun-it mechanic. Even the climax at the Overlook lacked a certain uncomfortable feel to it that the original 1980 film had. While it was incredibly satisfying to see the film’s climax take place at the Overlook, it felt over far too fast and left me wanting more.

While it does lack that secret sauce that made The Shining such an uncomfortable film, it still manages to be an entertaining thriller, one that does justice to both the book and the original film. As a fan of Kubrick’s film and the original Stephen King novel, that’s some high praise there.

B-

Overall, a fulfilling continuation