'Doctor Sleep' is based upon the novel by Stephen King, which is a follow up to his third novel 'The Shining'. The film was directed by Mike Flanagan, who previously directed another King adaptation the excellent 'Gerald's Game'. 'Doctor Sleep' I will say is at least on par with that previous entry and easily one of the best of King's vast adaptations. The film follows up on Danny Torrence, the young boy whose father was driven insane while staying at the haunted Overlook Hotel. We begin to see his life becoming a downward spiral, as he drinks heavily and is full of rage much like his father. He begins to find his purpose and clean up his life when a young girl named Abra begins communicating with him via 'Shining'. Things begin to grow dark again as both Danny & Abra find themselves the target of a vicious group known as the True Knot, led by the demonic Rose the Hat who feast on those who shine and will do anything to reach the young Abra.
Firstly, the cast here is a very good one with memorable performances by Rebecca Ferguson as Rose and young Kyliegh Curran as Abra. Ferguson is deliciously evil and eerie when fully unleashed but she doesn't ham it up as you might expect. Despite her supernatural abilities, it's the personality and complete lack of any conscious for her actions that makes the character one of King's best to date. The film really needed a great performance from Curran to hold together and for the most part she does well. She can be a bit monotone when reading some of her dialogue, but overall she felt natural and very likeable throughout. Ewan McGregor does alright as grown up Danny but the film seems to distance itself from the character more than the novel does. The story is ultimately about Danny overcoming his demons both metaphorically and physically and coming out a stronger person. Not to say Abra's story was less important in the book but the film doesn't balance between the two as well. I also have to mention the film's final act, which I won't spoil here but I'd like to mention that it takes a pretty bold direction that may turn off those who read either novel. If you've only seen the Kubrick film, this likely won't bother you as much but it's still worth mentioning.
I'd also like to stress that despite the film's marketing and Flanagan's previous works, this is not a full on horror picture nor is it intended to be. It has tense and scary moments no doubt, but it's really more akin to a supernatural drama than the previous story's haunted house walk through. If you're going in with the expectation of a spooky good time or a similar theme to the 1980 film, I'm just warning you ahead of time. Not to say the movie is any lesser because of it in fact I'd say I thought this movie was better than 'IT: Chapter Two' in many ways and makes me look back on that film with an even more negative viewpoint. 'Doctor Sleep' makes much better use of its two and a half hour running time and is never dull. I felt fully invested in the story from the first frame and even when the film has to use flashback scenes with different actors it still keeps the look and feeling of Kubrick's original vision. The actors standing in for the likes of Nicholson and Duvall are very good with their imitations though one might think they'd make them up to look a bit closer to their counterpart but that's merely a nitpick.
The film also does not hold back on some of the novel's more gruesome moments, including a very uncomfortable scene involving the torture of a child. King is notorious for killing kids after all, but even knowing the source material ahead of time it still made me squirm in my seat and serves as a warning for those that this is not for the faint of heart. The film also makes use of some wonderful makeup and practical effects, including a gory throwback to Flanagan's 'Gerald's Game' and the computer effects and set design used to recreate the Overlook Hotel is simply amazing. The music by the Newton Brothers is a good listen, though not likely on its own. It's mostly in the background, making use of various bass and strings, even including heartbeats and of course the classic Wendy Carlos theme song from the original film.
Overall, 'Doctor Sleep' will easily please most King fans but for the general horror audience it will likely be more divisive. But I suppose the original was as well and of course this film could never be that Stanley Kubrick masterpiece but it's still an excellent film. One of the best this year and one that should not be "overlooked". Get it?
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