Stephen King Adaptation Doctor Sleep Remains a Near-Perfect Sequel

Stephen King stories deliver a distinct brand of horror. Each monster unleashes psychological torment on both the characters and the reader. Audiences have feared Pennywise the Dancing Clown since 1986, and filmmakers have adapted King’s work for decades. Yet one of the strongest screen adaptations arrived as a sequel decades in the making.

Focusing on the adult life of Danny Torrance, the follow-up to The Shining was published 36 years after the original 1977 novel. In the original book, Jack Torrance moves his family to the Overlook Hotel, where malevolent spirits slowly drive him to violence. Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film adaptation left it more ambiguous whether Jack acted on his own impulses or fell under supernatural possession. King famously disliked Kubrick’s direction. In a 1986 interview with American Film, King described Kubrick’s movie as “a great big beautiful Cadillac with no motor inside. You can sit in it, and you can enjoy the smell of the leather upholstery – the only thing you can’t do is drive it anywhere.”

King’s perspective shifted with the 2019 adaptation of Doctor Sleep directed by Mike Flanagan. The film marked Flanagan’s second time handling King’s work, following Gerald’s Game on Netflix in 2017. Flanagan has since directed The Life of Chuck and developed an adaptation of Carrie for Prime Video. Doctor Sleep bridged the gap between King’s literary vision and Kubrick’s iconic visual style, resolving the psychological tension between Danny and Jack Torrance 39 years after the first film hit theaters.

A Closer Look at the Shine and the True Knot

Danny possessed “the shining” in the original story, with cook Dick Hallorann (Scatman Crothers) explaining the gift to the young boy (Danny Lloyd). In Doctor Sleep, Rose the Hat (Rebecca Ferguson) introduces a darker dimension to the ability through psychic essence called “Steam.” Rose leads the True Knot, a nomadic cult of psychic predators who torture and kill gifted children to consume their steam, preserving their own youth and immortality. An adult Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor), struggling with the trauma of the Overlook, steps up to protect a powerful young girl named Abra (Kyliegh Curran) from Rose’s followers.

Hollywood has produced faithful King adaptations over the decades, including Edgar Wright’s version of The Running Man, originally written under King’s pen name Richard Bachman. Flanagan stood out by embracing what worked in Kubrick’s film while addressing the narrative grievances King held against the 1980 movie.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly around the release of Doctor Sleep, King explained how the script changed his view of the cinematic universe.

“I read the script to this one very, very carefully,” King said. “Because obviously I wanted to do a good job with the sequel, because people knew the book The Shining, and I thought, I don’t want to screw this up. Mike Flanagan, I’ve enjoyed all his movies, and I’ve worked with him before on Gerald’s Game. So, I read the script very, very carefully and I said to myself, ‘Everything that I ever disliked about the Kubrick version of The Shining is redeemed for me here.'”

Choosing the best Stephen King adaptation remains subjective for readers and viewers. Earning an explicit stamp of approval from the author gives Flanagan’s sequel a rare standing among horror adaptations.

Source: Polygon