REVIEW: Dr. Sleep does The Shining's reputation proud

Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation of The Shining is a genuine masterpiece, in my opinion. In the opinion of Stephen King, however, the film was an abomination. He swore it off after release, wanting nothing to do with it. I can understand why: Kubrick was not interested in making a straight-adaption of one of King’s most iconic horror stories. He’s far too creatively-inventive to do something as easy as that.

Instead, Kubrick took the setting and basic plot idea and told his own version of a horror story, one whose tone, style, and manner of delivery has never been replicated. In fact, the movie has a feel so unique and so decidedly Kubrickian, one simply can’t recreate it without immediately being attacked as a wannabe.

The best you can do is parody it which, to be fair, has been known to bring out the best in some…

So how do you do a follow-up to such a movie? Stephen King eventually wrote a follow-up to The Shining, releasing Dr. Sleep in 2013, long after the 1980 movie had supplanted his original 1977 novel as the definitive version of the story. Instead of simply sending another family to the Overlook to retread the same ground, King branched out with his story, allowing the decades away to expand the lore that was only lightly touched on in the original.

Now the novel has a film-adaptation of its own and it has to live up, not only to the story it’s based on, but the original novel it came from, and most importantly, the movie that many regard among the greatest of its genre. That’s a lot to live up to…Does it?

Yes!

I think what I loved most about the movie was that it felt like a real story was being told. I didn’t feel like I was watching “a half dozen horror tropes held together by the loose-stitching of a bare-bones plot.” In other words, it didn’t feel like a typical modern-era horror movie.

I suppose it being a book adaptation (with several liberties taken, though it follows things a bit more closely to the source material than the 1980 movie did to its) is the reason why it doesn’t have the same feel of most horror movies these days. Dr. Sleep doesn’t follow the same conventions, go for the same scares, follow the same rhythm, etc.

Unlike most modern horror movies, where the plot is often built around either a central gimmick or written around a few key set pieces/moments that the producer or director came up with in pre-production, Dr. Sleep has a strong narrative. Again, that’s probably due to King, but it was nice to be able to follow a character from point-A to point-B, watch him go through a character arc, and reach a satisfying conclusion in the end.

It was like watching a real movie!

Was it particularly scary? Not until act three, and even then I don’t recall ever being truly frightened. That being said, I had a genuine, nagging sense of foreboding when they finally entered the Overlook Hotel. That’s not a spoiler since the trailers give that much away. Just being back in the Overlook was a surreal experience as a film-watcher. I think it was one of the rare occasions where knowing what was coming (to an extent) added to the tension and horror instead of detracted from it. For example, if I had never seen The Shining and you sat me down to watch it but first told me “Jack goes nuts and takes an ax to everyone; there’s a creepy rotting woman in Room 237, an elevator of blood, etc” I would have found those moments falling a bit flat after knowing they were coming.

Now, having seen those scary moments, having spent nearly forty years with them in the Overlook and all its particular horrors, it made the Hotel itself function as a character in the story. The way the story presents it is the perfect way to do it: Use the audience’s love/fear of the Hotel as a plot device; that takes away the chance of it feeling derivative when we finally go back there.

I also appreciate how they recast instead of digitally recreated Shelly Duval and Shining-era Jack. The slight difference, but eerie similarities in the new versions of the characters worked here since they were essentially memories conjured up by the hotel. We saw them the way Danny remembered them as a 5-year-old and not the way we remembered them as a viewer. Digitally remaking those actors would only have been a distraction.

Another thing I loved was how unexpected the movie was. There are plot developments (not twists, but merely scenes that advance the plot) that completely surprised me, both in their function in the story and in the way they were shot. As for the plot itself, I appreciate how the movie didn’t really continue the story of The Shining in a direct way but instead just told a new story with one central character from the previous, and went in a new direction, introduced new concepts, and played with those old toys in a new world. That’s a great way to do a sequel, especially one as ingrained in our culture as The Shining.

Because the movie spent so much time treading new ground, when the payoff came and they finally stepped into the Overlook Hotel, that moment felt earned, whereas in a lesser movie the Hotel would have been the setting from the start of act two through to the end, cheapening the effect with a “haunted house” retread that never could have lived up to Kubrick’s idiosyncratic masterpiece.

I don’t know if there will be a third movie set in this universe. The movie ends with things very much open-ended enough to tell another tale about people who shine. There’s a set-up for more to come but only if King has more ideas in mind. If he writes them with as much liberty and creativity as was on display in this movie, I say bring it on.

9/10 – Dr. Sleep is one of the best horror movies of the year, and a worthy follow-up to a horror classic.

COMMENTS

Please read our Commenting Policy before you join in with the discussion.

Note: If you have email notifications enabled, please check your email spam folders to ensure emails are not missed.

4 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Jordaina

8 months ago

The Shining was one of my favorite Stephen King movies! Yet, I’ve never heard of this one. I have to watch it now to see how it compares. Thanks for opening my eyes to a different movie.

Arabella

I agree with you about it being better to recast the roles of Wendy and Jack rather than recreating them digitally. I understand why the Star Wars franchise chose to recreate Princess Leia digitally, but sometimes she appeared like a humanoid.

Thatcher

9 months ago

Oh good grief, Stephen King almost always has something negative to say about the films inspired by his books, yet he continues to sell the rights. It’s annoying. I haven’t seen The Shining actually, but it wasn’t necessary to follow along with this film which was quite good. I particularly enjoyed Abra’s character.

Gavin the Binge-Watcher

I don’t like it as a sequel to The Shinning because the original actors and actresses are what made that film special. However, I think Dr. Sleep is a good film in its own right. That’s how I tried to look at it to keep myself from comparing Henry Thomas and Jack Nicholson the whole time.

Cookie	Description
_pxvid	This cookie is used for detection of the browser and distinguishing whether it is a real user or malicious bot.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	This cookies is set by GDPR Cookie Consent WordPress Plugin. The cookie is used to remember the user consent for the cookies under the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-non-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Non Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	This cookie is used to keep track of which cookies the user have approved for this site.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-preferences	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Preferences".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-uncategorized	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Uncategorized".
CraftSessionId	This cookie name is associated with the Craft web content management system, where is functions as an anonymous session identifier.
csrftoken	This cookie is associated with Django web development platform for python. Used to help protect the website against Cross-Site Request Forgery attacks
DSID	To note specific user identity. Contains hashed/encrypted unique ID.
JSESSIONID	Used by sites written in JSP. General purpose platform session cookies that are used to maintain users' state across page requests.
PHPSESSID	This cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
viewed_cookie_policy	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Cookie	Description
b30msc
btc
CMST
cref
d
gpl
i
icts
ig_did
mdata
na_rn
na_sc_e
na_sr
na_srp
session_depth
visitor-id

Cookie	Description
__gads	This cookie is set by Google and stored under the name dounleclick.com. This cookie is used to track how many times users see a particular advert which helps in measuring the success of the campaign and calculate the revenue generated by the campaign. These cookies can only be read from the domain that it is set on so it will not track any data while browsing through another sites.
__stid	The cookie is set by ShareThis. The cookie is used for site analytics to determine the pages visited, the amount of time spent, etc.
_ga	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, camapign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assigns a randoly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_60765351_1	Google uses this cookie to distinguish users.
_gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
ad-id	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content
demdex	This cookie is set under the domain demdex.net and is used by Adobe Audience Manager to help identify a unique visitor across domains.
DigiTrust.v1.identity	Registers data on visitors’ website-behaviour. This is used for internal analysis and website optimization.
dmvk	This cookie is set by DailyMotion who display videos, it registers statistical data of visitors' behaviour on the website.
gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
GPS	This cookie is set by Youtube and registers a unique ID for tracking users based on their geographical location
is_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
sc_is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
v1st	This is set by DailyMotion to display videos.

Cookie	Description
__asc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__auc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__qca	This cookie is associated with Quantcast and is used for collecting anonymized data to analyze log data from different websites to create reports that enables the website owners and advertisers provide ads for the appropriate audience segments.
_cc_aud	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_cc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_dc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_id	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_kuid_	The cookie is set by Krux Digital under the domain krxd.net. The cookie stores a unique ID to identify a returning user for the purpose of targeted advertising.
_px2	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxff_tm	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxhd	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
ab	This cookie is generally provided by agkn.com and is used for advertising purposes.
ad-privacy	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content to the users.
ayl_visitor	This cookie registers data on the visitor. The information is used to optimize advertisement relevance.
bafp	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bafp_t	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_pl	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rf_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rt_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_t_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_td_2d31c94105a0aa6d1ceaea0c86c6b656	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bito	This cookie is generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bitoIsSecure	This cookies are generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bsc	The cookies is set by ownerIQ for the purpose of providing relevant advertisement
CMID	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPRO	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPS	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
dc_id	This cookie is used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator's permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organisations such as advertisers.
did	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
didts	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
dpm	The cookie is set by demdex.net. This cookie assigns a unique ID to each visiting user that allows third-party advertisers target that users with relevant ads.
eud	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
euds	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
everest_g_v2	The cookie is set under eversttech.net domain. The purpose of the cookie is to map clicks to other events on the client's website.
evo5_popin_instance	Prevents an interaction from reoccurring for visitors not accepting 3rd party cookies.
id	This cookie is set by DoubleClick (which is owned by Google) to build a profile of the website visitor's interests and show relevant ads on other sites.
IDE	Used by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
io.narrative.guid.v2	This cookie is generally provided by io.narrative.io and is used for advertising purposes.
KADUSERCOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
KTPCACOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
matchliveramp	This cookie is provided by w55c.net and is used for advertising purposes.
mc	This cookie is associated with Quantserve to track anonymously how a user interact with the website.
mxpim	This cookie is generally provided by mxptint.net for advertising purposes.
na_tc	This is a Social Media sharing tracking cookie.
NID	This cookie is used to a profile based on user's interest and display personalized ads to the users.
nnls	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxrc	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxvid	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
rlas3	The cookie is set by rlcdn.com. The cookie is used to serve relevant ads to the visitor as well as limit the time the visitor sees an and also measure the effectiveness of the campaign.

Cookie	Description
__jid	Cookies set on the website by the third-party commenting platform Disqus.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
disqus_unique	These cookies are set by Disqus so that users can comment on website/platform.
G_ENABLED_IDPS	The cookie is used by Google and is used for Google Single Sign On.
mid	The cookie is set by Instagram. The cookie is used to distinguish users and to show relevant content, for better user experience and security.
na_id	This cookie is set by Addthis.com to enable sharing of links on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter
ouid	The cookie is set by Addthis which enables the content of the website to be shared across different networking and social sharing websites.
ov	This is a generic functional cookie that provides enhanced functionality and personalisation.
ts	This cookie is generally provided by PayPal and supports payment services in the website.
vuid	These cookies are used by the Vimeo video player on websites.

REVIEW: Dr. Sleep does The Shining’s reputation proud

You might also like

FIND THE TOPICS YOU WANT...

Recommended for you