REVIEW: Doctor Sleep

Absolutely terrifying but still heroic in all the right ways, mark my words, Doctor Sleep will go down as one of the decade’s overlooked classics. Amazingly nuanced characters, a plot so delicate I felt it could break at any moment (but good lord did it hold), and thrills upon thrills upon thrills. If you can find it in a movie theater near you stop reading this right now and buy a ticket.

Perhaps Doctor Sleep’s greatest achievement is its relationship as sequel to Kubrick’s the Shining. Director Mike Flanagan respects his predecessor but goes for a completely different tone/theming/structure. This is not a story about the ethereal horrors of the Overlook Hotel. In fact, it’s the complete opposite. This is a story about what happens after you escape the Overlook Hotel. This is a story about confronting the traumas of life in a way that doesn’t negate their horror, but also, doesn’t restrict you from a fulfilled existence.

The film follows Dan Torrance, a man whose life has been shaped by his haunted childhood, remarkable psychic abilities, and alcoholism. Just as he’s getting his life back together, he meets 13-year-old Abra Stone, a powerful PK user who is being tracked by a cult of murderous, quasi-immortal, psychic cannibals. Now Dan must face new daemons and old in a nightmarish quest that is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

Rebeca Ferguson gives a performance so devilishly villainous, so oddly iconic, so Stephen King-esqu, it will surely be burned into my memory for all time. The score, the sets, and the special effects pull what they needed to from the dreamlike quality of The Shining but still stand their ground as imaginative and unique. And holy crap is this flick SURPRISING! There were so many moments that completely caught me off guard. What a joy it was to be shocked in the theater again!

The only reason I’m not giving this a 5/5 was because pacing in the first half was a tad slow for my taste; the tiniest of blemishes on what would otherwise be one of my all time favorites. But y’all, even I have to acknowledge that you can’t play chess until all the pieces are in place. Give it time and you’ll be in for one heck of a game.

4.5/5

P.S. In a lot of ways, Doctor Sleep reminded me of another overlooked follow up, Blade Runner 2049. Both films take the messaging of the classics they’re based on and evolve it rather than choosing to play the hits. Definitely worth a watch if you haven’t seen it.

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