Doctor SleepIs a Worthy Invocation ofThe Shining’sLegacy

If remaking a classic movie is the worst estimation , an unnecessary sequel is a close second . Sometimes it ’s just better to leave well enough alone . And while thatmay be your first reactionwhen you think about Doctor Sleep , a continuation to bothStephen King and Stanley Kubrick ’s The Shining , check that sentiment in good order now . Doctor Sleep may not be “ necessary , ” per se , but it ’s highly engaging and entertaining on almost every level , and that make it absolutelyworthwhile .

Doctor Sleep tell the account of a grown - up Danny Torrance . You know , the unseasoned boy from The Shining whose father , Jack , went crazy with an axe in the Overlook Hotel . Stephen Kingwrote The polishing in 1977 and Stanley Kubrickadapted it in 1980 , but Kubrick made so many changes to the text , King was famously not a rooter of the motion-picture show . In subsequent years though , two things happened : Kubrick ’s movie catch way more famous than the book it was based upon and King write a sequel novel , called Doctor Sleep .

inscribe Mike Flanagan , who wrote , edited , and directed Doctor Sleep . Flanagan ( who latterly had a huge hit withNetflix ’s The Haunting of Hill Houseand has a long chronicle with repulsion ) determine to take King ’s book and twist it just enough so it stay true to the source material , but also satisfies fans of the film . It ’s a delicate balance , to be certain , but one that absolutely make for . Maybe too well .

Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor) is dealing with more “redrum” in Doctor Sleep.

Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor) is dealing with more “redrum” in Doctor Sleep.

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Torrance isplayed by Ewan McGregorand , for the first act of the film , we see that he has n’t had a capital life since the whole Overlook experience . Much like his father , Danny is now a violent alcoholic , and it ’s not until he hits sway bottom and propel to New Hampshire to tidy up out his life that he can begin to deal with the demon that have ghost him since he was a kid .

Meanwhile , two other stories open in the film . First is that of Abra , make for by newcomer Kyliegh Curran . Abra is a young girl who , like Danny , has the ability to “ shine”—meaning , do things with her mind . Without anyone to explain it to her , though , she ’s very incertain about her place in the world . Then there ’s Rose the Hat ( Rebecca Ferguson ) who top an vicious group called True Knot . They ’re kind of spiritual vampire who live inordinately long lives by feed on the “ steam ” of people who “ shine . ” essentially , they blow the exceptional out of them until the person dies and , in the procedure , live for centuries .

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Mission Impossible’s Rebecca Ferguson is the villain of Doctor Sleep and she’s amazing.Photo: (Warner Bros.)

Okay , movie brushup should not have that much exposition . gravely , what am I doing ? But for Doctor Sleep , it ’s all absolutely crucial . That think , much like this limited review , the film take a good long while to set everything up . And , also like this critique , it gets a tiny little tedious . Information is layered on top of more data and there are so many plate twirl there ’s a chance everything could go horribly wrong . Thankfully , it does n’t .

Once all the pieces are set , Doctor Sleep starts to soar . Rose , Abra , and Danny ’s stories begin to intersect and hint at an eventual showdown . All the while , we get to watch substantial performances by McGregor , Ferguson , and Curran , as well as their supporting actors ( which include the likes of Cliff Curtis , Jacob Tremblay , Bruce Greenwood , and more ) keep this fantastical narration grounded and relatable even as they wage in what is fundamentally mental warfare with a supernatural twist .

The key to that , of course , is Danny . McGregor plays him as a guard but capable , reluctant hoagy . Danny does n’t require to shine anymore . He does n’t desire to get call for . The most he ’ll do is aid his hospice patients peacefully spend away , hence the film ’s title of respect . But once he grow wind of Abra and Rose , Danny starts to evolve , grow , and finally face his demons head - on . It all lead to a sincerely brilliant third act .

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Yes. Doctor Sleep goes there.Photo: (Warner Bros.)

The biggest remainder between King and Kubrick ’s Shinings is the fate of the Overlook Hotel itself . King ’s Quran burns it to the ground and Kubrick ’s film leaves it standing . Since more citizenry know the film , Flanagan uses the Overlook as a emplacement , and he use every trick in the book to give fans of The Shining goosebumps the full way . From borrow Kubrick ’s musicto his shot composition , countersink fecundation , everything , Flanagan reinvents the hotel in a way that feels true not just to Kubrick , but this story .

From the very origin of the moving picture , Flanagan does n’t hide his intentions to crib from The Shining . The Warner Bros. logotype before the film plays The Shining score and he cast worker to play the Torrances from the original plastic film . In these flashback , it becomes abundantly clear how crucial reconciling those events is to Danny ’s character development . And when it all comes to a pass along with Abra and Rose ? Holy shit . I get iciness just thinking about it . On the other hand , I ’m a mug for that kind of nostalgia and there ’s perfectly an line to be made that Flanagan bank a moment too much on Kubrick ’s moving picture . Love it or hate it , you have to respect how well it works narratively .

Though if you were hoping for some big scare in this repulsion follow - up you may be disappointed as Doctor Sleep is never particularly shivery . It ’s riveting , glowering as hell , and cover - your - eyes gory at time , but that pure apprehension you ’ve come to expect from the Overlook does n’t quite imbue the moving-picture show as much as you ’d trust . The whole matter play more like a solid , psychological thriller than a horror moving-picture show . Which is fine , but perhaps dissimilar from Flanagan ’s intention .

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Kyliegh Curran is going to be a star after Doctor Sleep.Photo: (Warner Bros.)

And yet , that disconnect may come from a positive spot : Rebecca Ferguson ’s performance as Rose . Rose may be one of the most sinister villains King ever create and yet Ferguson plays her with such charisma and charm , it ’s difficult not to fall in honey with her . Which dials down the scary a bit , but sop up you deeper into her web of deceit and makes her beyond evil works that much more shocking and rewarding .

Those minor knocks aside , Doctor Sleep tells a complex , interesting story , filled with even more dynamic characters , set in a rich earth that surprises as much as it stroke your nostalgia . No , it ’s not as strong as The polishing , but you could say that about basically every individual movie ever made . or else , Doctor Sleep carves out its own niche . One of curiosity , tenseness , and satisfaction . We intend you ’ll like it .

Doctor Sleep opens November 8 .

Argentina’s President Javier Milei (left) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., holding a chainsaw in a photo posted to Kennedy’s X account on May 27. 2025.