This is a spoiler free review for Doctor Sleep, now in theaters.
The Doctor is In
Doctor Sleep is the newest Stephen King film to hit theaters. Based on the novel of the same name, Doctor Sleep is the sequel to the classic film and book, The Shining. The film follows Danny “Doc” Torrance, the child from The Shining’s book and film, who’s now all grown up. Danny has harnessed his powers from the first film and has learned to use them for good. But it’s not until he encounters a malevolent group of wanderers that force him to take action.
The Hat
The child lead in the film, Abra Stone, stumbles upon the group, the True Knot, and witness them murder a young boy. The group is led by Rose the Hat, who quickly becomes one of the best parts of this film. They do a great job of making the protagonists of this film seem human and relatable. Even if they are feeding off people’s essence. This prompts Danny to interject and stop the group from terrorizing their town.
Living Up to a Classic
One of the things I was concerned about for this film was that it was going to try to be like The Shining. Those are incredible shoes to fill, as The Shining is one of the greatest horror films of all time. I thought they would try to emulate Kubrick’s style. Though, the director Mike Flanagan knew exactly what he was doing. There’s just enough in this film to call back to The Shining, but Doctor Sleep also can stand alone as its own film.
Like horror films? Check out Doctor Sleep this weekend in theaters.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sean Smith
Student Author - Fall 2019
Sean Smith is a student at Gulf Coast State College. He’s obsessed with film to the point of blurring the realities between it and real life. When he’s not rewatching The Office to see if Pam is the TRUE villain of the series, he’s working full-time and doing homework (like this). FADE OUT TO BLACK
