Netflix Adds a Terrifying Stephen King Film — More Relevant Than Ever

Image: Jessica Miglio/Warner Bros./Everett Collection

It: Welcome to Derry quietly reframes a familiar supporting player: Dick Halloran emerges as far more than the comic, tragic side character Kubrick’s The Shining made him out to be. Though Scatman Crothers’ portrayal is memorable in the film, Stephen King always envisioned Halloran with greater resonance—writing him back into the wider mythology in other works, including his follow-up novel and its screen adaptation, Doctor Sleep.

In Welcome to Derry, Halloran is reimagined as a younger army cook (portrayed by Chris Chalk), while in Doctor Sleep he returns as a kind, protective spirit (Carl Lumbly). The recent availability of Doctor Sleep on Netflix makes it essential viewing for anyone following HBO’s prequel—both for the connective tissue Halloran provides and for director Mike Flanagan’s sensitive handling of King’s recurrent themes: addiction, grief, and the lingering trauma of childhood.

Doctor Sleep resumes the story decades later, following Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor) as he attempts to rebuild a life shattered by his father’s violent unravelling. Where the ghost of Dick Halloran once helped Danny contain his demons, adult Danny initially tries to numb them with alcohol. His path to sobriety begins when he encounters Abra (Kyliegh Curran), a perceptive—and terrifyingly powerful—young girl hunted by a predatory cult that feeds on the psychic energy known as “the shining.”

King’s original novel centers on Jack Torrance’s tragic descent into madness, with an emotional core anchored by family, guilt, and the possibility of redemption. Kubrick’s film, by contrast, leans into cold ambiguity and dread. Doctor Sleep bridges those approaches: it acknowledges the horror while restoring compassion and searching for a hopeful resolution through Danny’s attempts at atonement.

The film’s opening quarter-hour establishes a ruthless, unsettling tone: children are deliberately targeted, and the sequence of abduction and psychic predation is harrowing. The cult feeds on “steam,” the psychic residue produced by victims’ suffering, and the early scenes—particularly a brutal sequence involving a gifted boy—are as difficult and affecting as the disturbing opener of Welcome to Derry. Rebecca Ferguson, who embodies the film’s charismatic antagonist Rose the Hat, has acknowledged how harrowing those moments were to enact.

Kyliegh Curran is exceptional as Abra: at just 13 she brings nuance and emotional depth, shifting effortlessly between vulnerability and raw power. Her chemistry with McGregor anchors the movie; Halloran’s spectral presence nudges Danny toward a moral obligation to protect Abra, and the story’s emotional beat lands as Danny finally steps into a guardian role.

I’ll leave the specifics of the plot unspoiled: Doctor Sleep is a confidently directed piece of cinema with strong performances, a chilling antagonist, and an adaptation that honors Stephen King’s novel while also acknowledging the legacy of both the book and Kubrick’s film. If you can, seek out the director’s cut; its extended 24 minutes give the film a broader, more novelistic rhythm that many viewers will prefer.

Ultimately, Doctor Sleep functions as both a worthy continuation of The Shining and a meaningful narrative bridge to characters appearing in Welcome to Derry, offering an affecting conclusion to Dick Halloran’s arc.

Doctor Sleep is currently streaming on Netflix.

Source: Polygon