Doctor Sleep Review

Mike Flannigan’s Doctor Sleep takes on a tough task, trying to be a sequel to both a book and a movie, neither of which are much like the other. He has taken this task on before, adapting a gothic novel of 1959 into Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House with resounding success. That series was dripping with atmosphere and truly creepy on every level. The story was a drama first and horror second and Flannigan brings the same level of atmospheric horror to this adaptation of King’s novel and sequel to Kubrick’s film.

I felt the same way at the end of The Haunting of Hill House as I did Doctor Sleep, like I just got done reading a long novel. I felt emotionally drained in a good way and felt very fulfilled from a narrative standpoint. I watched the directors cut, which clocks in at 181 minutes. (The theatrical was 152 minutes) I can’t comment on the theatrical cut because I didn’t see it but I never felt like the film was too long. It is slow and plotting and every minute on screen felt necessary. According to those who have seen both the storyline between Jack and Danny is more fleshed out. Danny speaks of Jack quitting drinking after he broke his arm while drunk and the final confrontation at the bar in the Gold Room at the Overlook is far longer. This is the crux of the film from Danny’s perspective and I can see that not having this extra half hour in the film may have taken away from the enjoyment of the film.

All of the performances in the film are incredible. This is McGregor’s best acting to date and he shows every emotion that an action can dig up and put on screen. Kyliegh Curran, who plays the new girl with the Shine Abra, puts on a really gutsy performance. He character doesn’t shy away from her power, unless, of course, to her parents and even takes on the main villian in film head on without fear. Flannigan has a flare for getting young actors to come out of their shells are really show what they are capable of. I’m gushing over Flannigan as a director because every time he uses young actors I’m blown away at how well they can act. Kubrick choose the child to play Danny because he wasn’t an actor and he is the weakest part of The Shinning for me. That film is dominated by Nicolson’s brilliant performance as his Jack Torrence lets the Overlook take him deep into a decent into madness. This film is quite the opposite, as Danny is saved by being surrounded by death, working at a hospice, where he uses his shine to ease people into the “afterlife,” thus the title Doctor Sleep. Rebecca Ferguson plays a downright evil energy vampire named Rose the Hat, who unsettles us within the first few minutes of the film with her first, of many, child murders. She plays it as vulnerable as she does evil and makes for a great foil for our heroes, one that you really want to see be overcome.

The film eventually brings us back to the Overlook Hotel, an almost exact recreation for the films climatic battle. The nostalgia is there, for a purpose, not like the failures of the nostalgia in the new Star Was films. Danny has to reconcile with his father and the only way to do so is to relive his childhoods nightmare. That final scene with Jack and Danny at the bar is the most powerful moment in the film and again, without the extra context in the director’s cut, the moment would not land as it should. I found myself in tears through most of it, even if Henry Thomas is a bit distracting as Jack Torrence. He is the only one, as the casting for the young Danny and Wendy are seriously on point. Alex Essoe’s voice is so recognizable as she yells for Danny in a scene where he is talking to Dick Halloran once more as a child. I got chills remembering the voice of Shelley Duvall during these scenes and bring you back tonally exactly where you need to be for these parts of the film.

The runtime it self can be daunting, however, the film is broken into chapters so feel free to stop at any time and take a break. I do wonder if this would have been a better narrative as an episodic Netflix show like Flannigan’s last but since it isn’t, we’ll never know. The film does have some downright disgusting brutality in it, as the child murders may unsettle some viewers. The theme of healing and hope shine (sorry) though all of the horrific imagery. The film is about sobriety and what that means for those struggling with it and life doesn’t just end at tragedy. Life goes on and it is up to you to find a way to use what you have learned to help others. If you love The Shinning, you probably love this companion piece/sequel, just don’t go in expecting to see another Kubrick film. It isn’t. It certainly is a Mike Flannigan film. If you can, seek out the director’s cut!