Stephen King. Stanley Kubrick. Sequel almost four decades later. One of these things is not like the other, and if you’re anything like me, you also winced when you saw the first trailer for Doctor Sleep—not in fear of the film, but in dreadful anticipation that it would be a flop. Taking in the two-and-a-half-hour run-time, I braced myself for a lot more wincing. But thankfully, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the spirit of the 1980 masterpiece that terrorized so many of us for decades has been reborn in this film, and takes an entirely new form.
Like any good Stephen King plot, Doctor Sleep starts by presenting us with 
multiple, seemingly disconnected storylines: Danny (played by Ewan McGregor) has ditched his trike and has grown up to battle demons of phantom, flesh, and flask; young Abra Stone (played by the charming Kyliegh Curran in what is effectively her breakout role) harbors the ability to “shine” even brighter than Danny but doesn’t quite know it yet; and a gang of murderous thugs led by Rosie (played by the enchanting Rebecca Ferguson) thrives on the fear and pain of others who “shine” too. Throughout the film, King and director Mike Flanagan weave these storylines together into a troubling tapestry of light versus darkness, past versus present, and good versus evil.
I have to offer a hat-tip to Flanagan—stepping into Kubrick’s shadow is practically impossible, which is why I think Flanagan succeeds here because he actually chooses to sidestep it. Instead of trying to recreate the story, scares, and tone of the original, Flanagan builds something entirely new. It’s magical and mystical, yet dark and violent. Unlike Kubrick, he tracks closely to King’s written words, seeking to bring them to life instead of overwhelm them with his own vision. Much like the recent remake of It, seeing Doctor Sleep is like reading a folktale, a story of heroes forced to fight villains while battling themselves at the same time—all with a healthy dose of gore sprinkled on top.
The film is not without its faults—although Ferguson is undeniably talented, her character Rosie presents herself 
like a weird female version of Jack Sparrow who moved to California and picked up meditation, whose personality at its worst conjures the Grand High Witch from The Witches. I simply cannot buy her as a villain, and certainly not one that actually terrifies me. Which brings me to another one of Doctor Sleep’s shortfalls—it doesn’t really chill me to the bone like I’d hoped it would. Without giving anything away, I’ll say that it does include a satisfying dose of scares for those of us who are forever scarred by the original, but not nearly as many as I’d expected from a film of this length.
But again, that’s where Doctor Sleep stands alone. It may not be horrifying in the traditional sense, but it sure is dark. From violent deaths of the innocent to the quiet terror of dying alone of old age, you won’t be checking your emotions at the door for this one. In its own sneaky way way, this film entertains while probing some of life’s deepest questions, all while tracking an adventurous, fast-moving plot. Even if Doctor Sleep is not quite what I’d expected, it sure doesn’t disappoint.
SpecialK Verdict: Frightening fairy tale, scary superhero flick, dark throwback to one of the most iconic films of the 20th century, call it what you will, but Doctor Sleep is an unexpectedly satisfying winner that you shouldn’t pass up.
Doctor Sleep opens everywhere on Friday, November 8.
Never miss a review — sign up for email updates to the right, follow us on Twitter, or like The Parsing Haus on Facebook!