I had virtually no expectations coming into this film. Doctor Sleep is one of King's books that I haven't read and The Shining is a pretty substantial film to try to follow after 40 years. It seemed like an ill-advised late sequel. Boy was I wrong. You know that feeling of genuine surprise and delight when you realize you're watching something great for the first time? I got that feeling about twenty or so minutes into this film.
Though the opening is slow it’s deliberate, methodically setting all of the various pieces in motion. Once it gets going it grabs you and doesn't let go until the end.
Mike Flanagan absolutely killed it with this sequel to one of the horrors most beloved films. His film is not only respectful of what came before but it's actively reflecting on the themes of that film and carrying them through to this one.
This not a horror film in the same sense that the The Shining is, there are scares here and there and they are very well done but this isn't a film that's trying to creep you out at every turn. The film is more interested in exploring the trauma caused by the events at the Overlook Hotel in The Shining. Danny has isolated himself through his behaviors into a tiny little box of existence. The film forces him to face the world once more. It wants to acknowledge that evil doesn't just lurk in isolated hotels in the mountains, it's everywhere, and it preys on the most vulnerable amongst us while we turn a blind eye.
The horror of this film is more cerebral than the The Shining but nevertheless it'll seep into your bones, and make you feel the weight of it.
Doctor Sleep is one of the best horror/thrillers to come out this year.
8/10 Shine on.