Doctor Sleep (Review)
Doctor Sleep is Far From a Snooze Fest.
2019 has been a hell of a year for Stephen King movies, with Pet Semetary, It Chapter 2, Into the Tall Grass, and now Doctor Sleep. While it’s a pretty prolific year for films from one of the most prolific writers of all time, Doctor Sleep is by far and away one of the best adaptations I’ve seen of his on the big screen for years. While I wouldn’t necessarily call Doctor Sleep a horror movie, that’s simply because the main characters have so much fight in them that you believe wholeheartedly that they will prevail in the end. However, you’re never quite sure at what cost. The end result is a thrilling tale creating a grand mythos around one of his most acclaimed books and adaptations (though he might have hated it), The Shining.
Most of us remember little Danny Torrance from The Shining. You know, that kid who went around the Overlook hotel on his Big Wheel tricycle running into ghosts and saying “redrum” all the time. Well, turns out that having your dad almost kill you and your mom (as well as being haunted by some seriously messed up ghosts courtesy of The Overlook) can have a pretty profound effect on a five year old. Now a grown man (played by Ewen McGregor), Danny is an alcoholic who has hit his bottom when the film begins. He manages to get sober and rebuild his life in a small town in New Hampshire. There he regains his self-respect and takes on a job that allows him to help others. Just when he’s about to find peace, Danny finds himself sucked into a new horrifying adventure when a young girl, named Abra (Kyliegh Curran), with powers (“shining”) far beyond his own, shows up asking him for help. With her comes a new threat in the form of a group of nomadic “vampires” (lead by Rebecca Ferguson) that feed on a people who possess the “shining” by inflicting as much fear and pain on them as possible before killing them. Now Danny has to embrace the gift that he tried so hard to lock away, in order to save young Abra from being devoured.
What I find so annoying in so many horror movies is that they are all too often built on the stupid decisions that the main characters make. Doctor Sleep though actually gives the characters more credit than that and throughout the movie, Danny and Abra both continuously make smart decisions when it comes to eluding and fighting back against the villains. They set traps for them and take advantage of their enemies’ arrogance time and time again. Because of this, the film gives them a fighting chance making them characters that we can cheer for rather than see as victims, especially when it comes to young Abra who is a total BAMF. It’s so refreshing to see characters that actually think and don’t immediately give up when the big bad monster comes for them. For that reason, I loved Doctor Sleep and found myself all the more invested in the fates of the two characters as they fight their way through seemingly impossible odds.
Doctor Sleep is, of course, filled with references to The Shining, which makes sense given that it’s a sequel. Director Mike Flanagan strives for continuity throughout the film, which means he recreates a number of classics scenes from the original (almost flawlessly) in order for it not to be a jarring transition when new actors take the place of a young Jack Nicholson and Shelly Duvall. The film is also filled with tons of easter eggs to appease hardcore King fans from references in set decorating to mentions of other novels by King. It’s clear that Flanagan (who also wrote the script) is a tremendous King fan and wanted to make a movie for those like him. While I haven’t actually read Doctor Sleep, I was still savvy enough to pick up on more than a few of these references and it made the film all the more exciting when I did spot them. While I doubt that people who aren’t huge horror or Stephen King fans won’t still enjoy Doctor Sleep, I have a feeling that it will be especially rewarding for those who are true fanatics.
While the film moves at a brisk pace, Doctor Sleep never feels especially rushed. Instead, it has a sense of urgency to it that helps to raise the stakes for the characters and pushes the audience’s to the edge of their seats. This combined with the likable and charismatic performances, especially from Curran managed to have me emotionally involved in every moment. Even the villainous Rose the Hat (who has a strange Stevie Nicks aesthetic) while never truly likable is complicated enough to be an enjoyable and worthwhile villain. This is especially important because heroes are only as good as their villains, and while Rose might not be particularly nightmarish, she and her ilk set both Danny and Abra up to be true heroes. This is only a small example of the fine craftsmanship that went into telling this story. Flanagan’s attention to detail doesn’t just end at his fanboying over Stephen King, every scene reveals more and more about the character’s even when no one says a word. Abra’s room, decorated with anime figures and posters of strong female characters shows that she isn’t afraid to stand up to monsters. Danny’s struggle with drinking shows his determination in the end not to run away from his past or himself anymore. Rose the Hat’s hat, well, that just makes her look spooky chic.
I honestly believe that Doctor Sleep is one of the best Stephen King movies I’ve ever seen. That isn’t to say that it doesn’t have it’s flaws. It certainly races to cover a lot of ground and at times the performances are a little underwhelming at key moments. Overall though, it’s a movie that sucks you in from the very beginning and rewards you at the end. It’s a far cry from the kind of straight-up horror I was expecting when I sat down to see it and found it to be much more of a thrilling adventure film with horror elements instead. Because of that, it took me completely off guard in the best way possible. I definitely recommend this not just for horror or Stephen King fans, but anyone who wants to see one of the more unique movies of the year. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still plenty of blood and moments to make you jump, but Doctor Sleep is more uplifting by the end than nightmarish.
