Doctor Sleep

A Film Review by Forrest Humphrey 

In an era where we get far to many sequels nobody asked for in the film industry's desperate bid to play on nostalgia for money, a rare gem sometimes comes along. “Doctor Sleep” is one of those gems. Based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, “Doctor Sleep” had the daunting task of following one of the most beloved horror films of all time, that of course being Stanley Kubrick's “The Shining.” 

What follows is a story about Dan Torrance, the young boy who escaped the Overlook Hotel with his mother, as an adult. Plagued even decades later by his experiences, he has turned to substance abuse to dull his “Shining” and run from the literal ghosts in his past. For those who might not know/remember, “The Shining” refers to the psychic powers possessed by a rare few individuals like Dan and Dick Hallorann from the original novel/film. Cue Abra, a young girl with even stronger powers than Dan, who has run afoul of the True Knot, a cult of psychic vampires who hunt down and feed on kids with The Shining to sustain their immortality. The film then follows the deadly game of cat and mouse between Dan, Abra and their monstrous pursuers.

I wont go any deeper than that, but suffice to say the premise alone got me interested given I love Vampire films and this is, in essence, “What if the sequel to The Shining was also Vampire movie?” 

Director Mike Flanagan had the daunting task of trying to turn King's novel into a sequel to a beloved film that King himself hated due to how different the film was to his original work. But he pulled it off. Make no mistake, this is a sequel to the Kubrick film, and as such there aren't any glaring plot holes to run afoul of since Flanagan spoke directly with King for help on reconciling differences between his script, King's novel and Kubrick's original film. For the most part the film focuses more on Dan, Abra and the Vampires with only the references necessary for establishing our story instead of constantly pandering, and the actors they got to stand in for flashbacks are all spot on, no de-aging CGI was used and the film is much stronger for it. I do think there are certain elements in certain scenes later on that pander a little to hard, but I'll keep it to that vague notion and let others decide for themselves.

Also strengthening the film are the standout performances of Ewan McGregor as Dan, balancing both the fear and abuses Danny suffered as a kid with his efforts to reform and help people, making him a highly sympathetic hero; Kyliegh Curran as Abra in yet another role that breaks the notion that young teens can't work as lead characters with a wonderful blend of youthful naivety and sense of justice while being quite capable; and as our vampire cult leader we have Rebecca Furguson as Rose, a deliciously evil and stylish villain who was a delight to watch. Indeed, we spend a lot of time with the cult, showing their lifestyle and the horrible things they do to feed. They are not at all a “looming menace you never see until the finale”, they are a constant threat and menace to our heroes.

Throw in some lovely cinematography and a notable lack of jump scares to focus on a very different kind of horror: almost entirely on dread, atmosphere and as one can tell from the premise, the fear many adults will have that something is after their children and they cant stop it, and you have a film I highly recommend. Sadly the film under performed, predicted mainly due to its long run time and its status as a sequel to a nearly 40 year old film, but I can still say I'm very happy I took my chances on this. “Doctor Sleep” is a worthy successor to The Shining AND a good vampire flick (just substitute blood for “shining) at the same time. Give it a shot, and Shine On. 

Rating: 4/5