Doctor Sleep
Years after his father’s snap and break at the Overlook Hotel, Dan Torrance (Ewan McGregor), now a grown man battling a host of bad habits is met by a mysterious young pen pal who also shines, Abra (Kyliegh Curran). Meanwhile, a group of vampiric individuals known as The True Knot scour the earth in search of children who shine; looking to feast on their essence or “steam.” So, when Abra discovers the Knot’s existence, and likewise, they hers, it’s a game of cat and mouse. But, ultimately stopping the True Knot’s leader, Rose (Rebecca Ferguson), will take much more than the shine of Dan and Abra alone, perhaps the darkness within the Overlook will come calling after all? Directed and Written by Mike Flanagan and based on the Stephen King’s novel, this near perfect pairing to Stanley Kubrick’s the Shining from 1980 continues the horror and further fleshes out the world for those who shine. Thoughtful casting and re-casting of several classic characters in the ensemble feels completely natural and not a star out of place, in particular performances from Ferguson, McGregor, and Curran hit the hammer on the nail with a resounding smash, loud enough to wake the dead perhaps. Exquisite attention to detail, Easter eggs included, and spot on art direction keeps the tangible horror tethered to the real world just enough to plant the “what if” bug deep enough. Careful attention to cinematography and editing, sometimes mimicking Kubrick’s style, updating as necessary and required makes this easily re-watchable two hour and 31 minute descent into chaos a pleasure. Capping things off, exquisite scoring by The Newton Brothers nicely marries Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique (Dias Irae) (used extensively in Kubrick’s the Shining) with a flair of their own, vanishing perfectly as a score should yet working on the audience one note at a time. Totally worth it. Doctor Sleep is rated R.