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''Doctor Sleep'' is a 2019 American
supernatural horror film Supernatural horror film is a film genre that combines aspects of horror film and supernatural film. Supernatural occurrences in such films often include ghosts and demons, and many supernatural horror films have elements of religion. Common the ...
written and directed by Mike Flanagan. It is based on the 2013
Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high ...
novel of the same name, and is a sequel to
Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...
's '' The Shining'' (1980). Set several decades after the events of ''The Shining'', ''Doctor Sleep'' stars
Ewan McGregor Ewan Gordon McGregor ( ; born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and the BAFTA Britannia Humanitarian Award. In 2013, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British ...
as
Danny Torrance Daniel Anthony Torrance, also known as Doc, Danny, Dan, and later Doctor Sleep, is a fictional character who first appears in the 1977 novel '' The Shining'' by Stephen King as a child with psychic powers called "the shining". His parents are fathe ...
, a man with psychic abilities who struggles with childhood trauma. Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran, Cliff Curtis and
Carl Lumbly Carl Winston Lumbly (born August 14, 1951) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Dick Hallorann in '' Doctor Sleep'', NYPD detective Marcus Petrie on the CBS police drama ''Cagney & Lacey'', CIA agent Marcus Dixon on the ABC espion ...
have supporting roles.
Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of ...
began developing a film adaptation shortly after ''Doctor Sleep'' was published in 2013. Writer-producer
Akiva Goldsman Akiva J. Goldsman (born July 7, 1962) is an American filmmaker. He is known for making motion pictures and adaptations of popular novels. Goldsman's filmography as a screenwriter includes '' The Client''; ''Batman Forever'' and its sequel '' Ba ...
wrote a script, but the studio did not secure a budget for the film until the box office success of its 2017 horror film '' It'', also based on a novel by King. Flanagan was hired to rewrite Goldsman's script and direct the ''Doctor Sleep'' film. Flanagan said he wanted to reconcile the differences between ''The Shining'' novel and film. Filming began in September 2018 in Georgia, including
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...
and the surrounding area, and concluded that December. ''Doctor Sleep'' held its world premiere at the
Regency Village Theater The Fox Theatre, Westwood Village, also known as the Fox Village Theatre, is a historic, landmark cinema in Westwood, Los Angeles, California. Westwood Village, in the heart of Westwood, is near the University of California, Los Angeles UCLA. It ...
in Los Angeles on October 21, 2019, and was theatrically released worldwide on October 31, 2019, and in the United States on November 8. The film received positive reviews from critics, who praised Flanagan's screenplay and the performances of the cast (especially McGregor, Ferguson and Curran) but criticized its length. Grossing $72.3 million worldwide, its performance at the box office was considered a disappointment compared to the other King adaptations released in 2019, ''
It Chapter Two ''It Chapter Two'' is a 2019 American supernatural horror film directed by Andy Muschietti, with a screenplay by Gary Dauberman. A follow-up to '' It'' (2017), it is the second of a two-part adaptation of the 1986 novel '' It'' by Stephen King, ...
'' and ''
Pet Sematary ''Pet Sematary'' is a 1983 horror novel by American writer Stephen King. The novel was nominated for a World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1984, and adapted into two films: one in 1989 and another in 2019. In November 2013, PS Publishing re ...
''.


Plot

Dan Torrance, still traumatized from his family's 1980 ordeal at the Overlook Hotel, is guided by the ghost of
Dick Hallorann Richard Hallorann is a fictional character created by Stephen King from his 1977 novel '' The Shining''. He has telepathic abilities he called "the shining" and is the head chef at the Overlook Hotel. He meets Danny Torrance, a young boy who is ...
to capture the ghosts of the Overlook in lockboxes. By 2011, he has become an alcoholic to suppress his shining. After moving to a
New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the n ...
town, he recovers through
Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an international mutual aid fellowship of alcoholics dedicated to abstinence-based recovery from alcoholism through its spiritually-inclined Twelve Step program. Following its Twelve Traditions, AA is non-profess ...
set up by his new friend Billy Freeman and becomes a
hospice Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life b ...
orderly, where he uses his shining to comfort dying patients, who nickname him "Doctor Sleep". Meanwhile, the True Knot, a cult of psychics led by Rose the Hat, extend their lifespans by consuming "steam", a psychic essence released by torturing and killing those who have the shining. In 2019, the True Knots are starving, as steam has become increasingly rare. They torture a boy to death for steam; a young girl named Abra Stone, whose shining is even greater than Dan's, senses this. She telepathically alerts Dan about the murder, but Rose senses Abra in the process. Rose projects her consciousness across the country and infiltrates Abra's mind, but is physically injured by a psychic trap set by Abra. Rose sends the remaining members after her for steam. Abra informs Dan about the True Knot. Although he is initially skeptical about stopping them, he changes his mind and recruits Billy and Abra's father, Dave, to help. They successfully kill most of the group except Rose, but Billy and Dave are killed and Abra is captured by Rose's partner, Crow Daddy. Dan shines into Abra and saves her from Crow Daddy, killing him in the process. Dan brings Abra to the Overlook as a last resort, believing it will be equally dangerous for Rose. He starts the hotel's
boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, central ...
and explores the dormant building, "awakening" it with his shining. At the same time, he has visions of his time at the hotel. Rose arrives at the Overlook and overpowers Dan in a fight, but he saves himself by opening lockboxes in his mind and releasing the Overlook's ghosts. Drawn by Rose's power, the ghosts overwhelm and devour her, before turning on Danny and possessing him in a bid to try and make him kill Abra. After a brief moment where she cuts through his possessed mind, he tells her to save herself before the hotel overcomes him again. He goes to the boiler room but regains control before the hotel can make him deactivate it. Before he passes out, Dan sees a vision of himself as a child being comforted by his mother Wendy. Abra escapes as the Overlook burns down and the authorities arrive. Sometime later, Abra speaks to Dan's spirit, assuring him that she is fine. Dan comforts Abra, telling her to "shine on" and not to hide her gifts from the world. She shares to her mother that she has been conversing with Dan and her deceased father and that they are okay. Abra later encounters Mrs. Massey, the ghost of the bathroom in the Overlook's Room 237, in her bathtub; she confronts it and closes the door behind her.


Cast

*
Ewan McGregor Ewan Gordon McGregor ( ; born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and the BAFTA Britannia Humanitarian Award. In 2013, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British ...
as
Danny Torrance Daniel Anthony Torrance, also known as Doc, Danny, Dan, and later Doctor Sleep, is a fictional character who first appears in the 1977 novel '' The Shining'' by Stephen King as a child with psychic powers called "the shining". His parents are fathe ...
, an alcoholic man with psychic powers known as "the shining". Roger Dale Floyd plays a young Danny Torrance. ** The character first appeared as his young self and in the film '' The Shining''; where he was played by Danny Lloyd, who, in this film, makes a
cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...
as a spectator at Bradley Trevor's baseball game. Lloyd had been retired from acting for roughly 38 years and was direct-messaged on
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
by Flanagan to appear in the film. Producer Trevor Macy said of Lloyd's involvement, " loydwas excited to do he cameo He hadn't acted since he original He's a schoolteacher, and a very successful one at that, like making the world better. He came back for a day, and we were thrilled to have him." When pressed as to why the filmmakers did not extend the same offer to
Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. In many of his films, he played rebels against the social structure. He received numerous ...
, Macy responded, "With Jack, I knew that they approached him for ''
Ready Player One ''Ready Player One'' is a 2011 science fiction novel, and the debut novel of American author Ernest Cline. The story, set in a dystopia in 2045, follows protagonist Wade Watts on his search for an Easter egg in a worldwide virtual reality ga ...
'', and that he seems to be very serious about being retired. I had known that he was supportive f the sequelbut retired." * Rebecca Ferguson as Rose the Hat, leader of the True Knot, a cult that feeds on people with psychic powers. * Kyliegh Curran as Abra Stone, a girl with "the shining". **Dakota Hickman plays a young Abra Stone. *
Carl Lumbly Carl Winston Lumbly (born August 14, 1951) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Dick Hallorann in '' Doctor Sleep'', NYPD detective Marcus Petrie on the CBS police drama ''Cagney & Lacey'', CIA agent Marcus Dixon on the ABC espion ...
as
Dick Hallorann Richard Hallorann is a fictional character created by Stephen King from his 1977 novel '' The Shining''. He has telepathic abilities he called "the shining" and is the head chef at the Overlook Hotel. He meets Danny Torrance, a young boy who is ...
, the late head chef of the Overlook Hotel who has "the shining". Dick was played by Scatman Crothers in ''The Shining''. *
Zahn McClarnon Zahn Tokiya-ku McClarnon (born October 24, 1966) is an American actor known for his performances in the Western crime drama series '' Longmire'', the second season of '' Fargo'', and the second season of '' Westworld''. In 2022, he played the l ...
as Crow Daddy, Rose the Hat's lover and right-hand man in the True Knot. *
Emily Alyn Lind Emily Alyn Lind (born 2001/2002) is an American actress. She began her career as a child actress, when she was known for her recurring role as young Amanda Clarke on the ABC series ''Revenge'', and for her role as Ariel on the CBS medical dram ...
as Snakebite Andi, a young member of the True Knot who is able to psychically control people. *
Bruce Greenwood Stuart Bruce Greenwood (born August 12, 1956) is a Canadian actor and producer. He is known for his role as the American president John F. Kennedy in '' Thirteen Days,'' for which he won the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motio ...
as Dr. John Dalton, leader of Dan's AA group and his boss at the hospice. * Jocelin Donahue as Lucy Stone, Abra's mother. * Cliff Curtis as Billy Freeman, Dan's friend, coworker, and AA sponsor * Robert Longstreet as Barry the Chunk, a member of the True Knot. *
Carel Struycken Carel Struycken (; born 30 July 1948) is a Dutch actor. He is known for playing the Giant/Fireman in the television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991, 2017), the occasional guest role of Mr. Homn in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1987� ...
as Grandpa Flick, an aging member of the True Knot. * Alex Essoe as
Wendy Torrance Winnifred "Wendy" Torrance is a fictional character and protagonist of the 1977 horror novel '' The Shining'' by the American writer Stephen King. She also appears in the prologue of '' Doctor Sleep'', a 2013 sequel to ''The Shining''. Character ...
, Dan's mother. Wendy was played by
Shelley Duvall Shelley Alexis Duvall (born July 7, 1949) is an American actress and producer who is known for her portrayals of distinct, often eccentric characters. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award and a Peab ...
in ''The Shining''. * Zackary Momoh as Dave Stone, Abra's father. *
Jacob Tremblay Jacob Tremblay ( ; born October 5, 2006) is a Canadian actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a Canadian Screen Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, a Young Artist Award, and nominations for a Screen Actors Guild Award, tw ...
as Bradley Trevor, a victim of the True Knot, known to Abra as the "baseball boy". * Henry Thomas as The Bartender, an apparition who calls himself Lloyd but resembles Dan's late father, Jack Torrance; Thomas thus also portrays Torrance briefly in flashback scenes. In ''The Shining'', Torrance was portrayed by
Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. In many of his films, he played rebels against the social structure. He received numerous ...
and Lloyd was portrayed by Joe Turkel. Additionally, Catherine Parker appears as Silent Sarey, Met Clark as Short Eddie, Selena Anduze as Apron Annie, and James Flanagan as Diesel Doug, all members of the True Knot cult. Violet McGraw portrays Violet, a child who is murdered at the start of the film by the True Knot cult and later fed to Snakebite Andi as part of her induction into the group, while Bethany Anne Lind portrays Violet's mother. Sadie and KK Heim portray the Grady sisters, with Kaitlyn McCormick and Molly Jackson providing their voices; the characters were originally played by twins Lisa and Louise Burns in ''The Shining''. Sallye Hooks portrays Mrs. Massey, Michael Monks portrays Delbert Grady, and Hugh Maguire portrays Horace Derwent, respectively; played by Lia Beldam and Billie Gibson,
Philip Stone Philip Stone (14 April 1924 – 15 June 2003) was an English actor, well known for portraying film characters such as "Pa", the father of Alex DeLarge, in '' A Clockwork Orange''; General Alfred Jodl in '' Hitler: The Last Ten Days''; Delber ...
, and Norman Gay in ''The Shining''. Regarding the recast characters, Flanagan explained, "We explored everything, and there were only really two options as I saw it: It was either going to be something that was performed, or something that was digital. And even if we had Nicholson come back, based on the rules of the hotel and how the ghosts appear with respect to their age, he'd be performing the part through a digital avatar." Flanagan said that de-aging and digital actors, while improving rapidly, were still inadequate. "The idea of having a digital Danny Torrance riding a trike five minutes into the movie, that just seemed like we were making a video game at that point. It felt disrespectful." Noting that any solution would be controversial, the director decided that the best approach "was not to do impressions; it was to find actors who would remind us of those iconic performances, without ever tipping into parody... I just want to be able to tilt people's memories toward those original actors, but then let the characters be their own. I want to cast someone to play Dick Hallorann; I don't want to cast someone to play Scatman Crothers". The idea of casting a Nicholson impersonator as Jack was also considered, as was casting a big-name actor associated with or reminiscent of Nicholson, such as Leonardo DiCaprio or
Christian Slater Christian Michael Leonard Slater (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor and producer. He made his film debut with a leading role in '' The Legend of Billie Jean'' (1985) and gained wider recognition for his breakthrough role as Jason "J.D." ...
. Nicholson was also invited to make a cameo appearance as another character, but declined.


Themes

Author Stephen King said he wrote ''Doctor Sleep'' because he wondered what Danny Torrance would be like as an adult. Flanagan has stated, "Danny is so traumatized by what he's been through, he has no idea how to deal with this," and McGregor added, "Dan Torrance's philosophy early on in the story is not to use the shining. He's drunk to suppress the horrible visitations, the spirits that are from the Overlook Hotel." Flanagan described ''The Shining'' as "very much about addiction, which is doom. It's about annihilation and the destruction of a family," while ''Doctor Sleep'' was about "recovery," stating, "In the way that addiction feels like doom and annihilation, recovery is rebirth, and recovery is salvation, in a way." On themes, Flanagan has stated that “(‘Doctor Sleep’) incorporates a lot of nostalgia from the first film... It also brings in themes that weren’t in the first book, and focuses a lot more on the aspects of addiction and recovery.” The Daily Bruin noted that "many elements in the film – particularly during the climax when Rose, Dan and Abra converge in a “shine” to the death – reference recognizable characters and scenes from ''The Shining''.”


Connections to ''The Shining'' novel and film

''Doctor Sleep'' is based on the 2013 horror novel of the same name by
Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high ...
. The 1977 novel '' The Shining'' was adapted into a 1980 horror film of the same name by director
Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...
. King was critical of Kubrick's film adaptation to the point of writing and executive-producing a new adaptation with the 1997 television miniseries. While the film ''Doctor Sleep'' is intended to be a direct adaptation of the 2013 sequel novel, director Mike Flanagan said ''Doctor Sleep'' still "acknowledge Kubrick's ''The Shining'' in some way". Flanagan said, "It is an adaptation of the novel ''Doctor Sleep'', which is Stephen King's sequel to his novel, ''The Shining''. But this also exists very much in the same cinematic universe that Kubrick established in his adaptation of ''The Shining''." He explained working with all the sources, "Reconciling those three, at times very different, sources has been kind of the most challenging and thrilling part of this creatively for us." He first read the novel, and then had a conversation with King to work out adapting all the sources. As part of the process, Flanagan recreated scenes from ''The Shining'' to use in flashbacks. Same as ''The Shining'', Flanagan also avoided the horror film trope of jump scares. On why he wanted to present the film as a continuation of Kubrick's film, Flanagan expressed, "''The Shining'' is so ubiquitous and has burned itself into the collective imagination of people who love cinema in a way that so few movies have. There’s no other language to tell that story in. If you say ‘Overlook Hotel,’ I see something. It lives right up in my brain because of Stanley Kubrick. You can't pretend that isn't the case". King is famously known to dislike Kubrick's adaptation of ''The Shining,'' particularly due to omitting several aspects of the novel that were personal to him, such as themes related to alcoholism and its role in the disintegration of family, which Flanagan read as "an examination of his fear of what his alcoholism could do to his family... and he wrote himself hope and sacrifice at the end. None of that is present in the Kubrick film... that was a bridge too far of a personal level for him." The opening of the ''Doctor Sleep'' novel was seen as King undoing and avoiding the changes Kubrick made to the ''Shining'' film. During early talks, King's two stipulations for the ''Doctor Sleep'' adaptation was that the Overlook would not be present, and that the novel's ending would be retained. King initially rejected Flanagan's pitch of bringing back the Overlook as seen in Kubrick's film, but changed his mind after Flanagan pitched a scene within the hotel towards the end of the film that served as his reason to bring back the Overlook. Upon reading the script, King was so satisfied with the result that he said, "Everything that I ever disliked about the Kubrick version of ''The Shining'' is redeemed for me here." Flanagan later revealed that there were two scenes that convinced King to accept his idea. The first was the scene involving Dan talking with The Bartender in the form of Jack, which was not adapted from either novel and was fully written by Flanagan before finishing his first draft. The second was the ending which directly adapts the final act of ''The Shining'' novel that was heavily omitted from Kubrick's film, with Dan and Abra taking the place of the novel's Jack and Danny, as well as the Overlook burning down due to the overloaded boiler. Thus, this film can be seen as a bridge for King's ''Doctor Sleep'' and ''The Shining'', incorporating events from both novels. Flanagan said that in his film, "Almost everything Dan does sJack's story from he original novel and that he "really wanted to try to bring back the ending from ''The Shining'' novel and give it to Dan." In including these elements into the ''Doctor Sleep'' film, Flanagan explained, "I saw it as this gift, to me as a fan, and from me to him as well — that yes, we're going to bring back this Kubrickian Overlook world, and I wanted to celebrate that film. But what if, in doing so, at the same time, you get elements of that ending of that novel, ''The Shining'', that Kubrick jettisoned? Then you start to get the ending you never did, and that King was denied."


Production

Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of ...
began developing a film adaptation of ''Doctor Sleep'' as early as 2014. In 2016, filmmaker
Akiva Goldsman Akiva J. Goldsman (born July 7, 1962) is an American filmmaker. He is known for making motion pictures and adaptations of popular novels. Goldsman's filmography as a screenwriter includes '' The Client''; ''Batman Forever'' and its sequel '' Ba ...
announced that he would write and produce the film for Warner Bros. For several years, Warner Bros. could not secure a budget for ''Doctor Sleep'', or for a different project, a prequel to ''The Shining'' called ''Overlook Hotel''. In late 2017, Warner Bros. released '' It'', a film adaptation of King's 1986 novel of the same name, and its box office success led the studio to fast track production of ''Doctor Sleep''. In January 2018, Warner Bros. hired Mike Flanagan to rewrite Goldsman's script and direct the film, with Goldsman receiving executive producer credit. On why he was interested in directing ''Doctor Sleep'', Flanagan stated, "It touches on themes that are the most attractive to me, which are childhood trauma leading into adulthood, addiction, the breakdown of a family, and the after effects, decades later." From June to November 2018, the cast was assembled. Filming began in September 2018 in the U.S. state of
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to th ...
; locations included
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...
and St. Simons. In the area of Atlanta, specific locations included Covington, Canton,
Stone Mountain Stone Mountain is a quartz monzonite dome monadnock and the site of Stone Mountain Park, east of Atlanta, Georgia. Outside the park is the small city of Stone Mountain, Georgia. The park is the most visited tourist site in the state of Georgia. ...
, Midtown, Porterdale, and Fayetteville. Production concluded in December 2018. By January 2019, Flanagan was editing the film. The film score was composed by
The Newton Brothers John Andrew Grush and Taylor Newton Stewart, known collectively as The Newton Brothers, are American film score composers, record producers, conductors, and multi-instrumentalists. Their works include scores for several films with director Mike ...
(Andy Grush and Taylor Stewart), who also composed scores for Flanagan's previous works.
WaterTower Music WaterTower Music (formerly New Line Records from 2000 to 2010) is an American record label serving as the in-house music label and run by entertainment company Warner Bros., ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The name and logo are based ...
has released the film score. The score is heavily inspired by the music of ''The Shining'' and includes a reworked rendition of the main theme, Dies Irae. Vintage music by Al Bowlly, Ray Noble and Henry Hall is also included in the film, reprising the key part it played in “The Shining”. “Home” by Henry Hall & The Gleneagles Hotel Band is available on one release. “And The Bands Played On”. Decca DDV 5001/2. The song was never issued before 1977 and was remastered by Keith Gooden & Geoff Milne at Decca in England.


Release

''Doctor Sleep'' had its world premiere at the
Regency Village Theater The Fox Theatre, Westwood Village, also known as the Fox Village Theatre, is a historic, landmark cinema in Westwood, Los Angeles, California. Westwood Village, in the heart of Westwood, is near the University of California, Los Angeles UCLA. It ...
in
Westwood, Los Angeles Westwood is a commercial and residential neighborhood in the northern central portion of the Westside region of Los Angeles, California. It is the home of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Bordering the campus on the south ...
on October 21, 2019.
Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of ...
released the film theatrically in the United States and Canada on , 2019. They opened the film globally earlier, , 2019, coinciding with
Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observan ...
. The film was initially scheduled to be released on January 24, 2020. ''
Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, w ...
'' said the rescheduling reflected Warner Bros. giving "a major vote of confidence" in the film. A
director's cut A director's cut is an edited version of a film (or video game, television episode, music video, or commercial) that is supposed to represent the director's own approved edit in contrast to the theatrical release. "Cut" explicitly refers to the ...
along with the theatrical cut of ''Doctor Sleep'' was released on Digital HD on January 21, 2020, and was released on DVD,
Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
and 4K on February 4. The director's cut is 28 minutes longer.


Reception


Box office

''Doctor Sleep'' grossed $31.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $40.7 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $72.2 million. In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside ''
Last Christmas "Last Christmas" is a song by British pop duo Wham!, originally released in December 1984 on CBS Records internationally and as a double A-side on Epic Records with " Everything She Wants" in the UK. Described as a "high watermark of mid-80s ...
'', '' Midway'', and '' Playing with Fire'', and was initially projected to gross $25–30 million from 3,855 theaters in its opening weekend. ''
BoxOffice ''Boxoffice Pro'' is a film industry magazine dedicated to the movie theatre business published by BoxOffice Media LP. History It started in 1920 as ''The Reel Journal'', taking the name ''Boxoffice'' in 1931 and still publishes today, with ...
'' wrote, "Early social and trailer trends are indicative of a potential box office hit should reviews and audience reception prove favorable," but added, "''Doctor Sleep''s primary barrier to breakout status could be how reliant it is on younger audience familiarity with the source Stephen King novels and/or ''The Shining''." The film made $5.2 million on its first day, including a combined $1.5 million from advanced preview screenings on October 30 and Thursday night previews on November 7, lowering weekend projections to $12 million. It ended up debuting to $14.1 million, getting upset by ''Midway'' for the top spot. ''
Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, w ...
'' speculated that despite it being "well-reviewed and well-received" by critics and audiences, the underperformance was due to the 2-hour runtime, as well as the perception the film was meant for older audiences (67% of the opening weekend attendance was over the age of 24). Following its debut, it was projected the film would lose Warner Bros. around $20 million. In its second weekend the film made $6.0 million, dropping to sixth. ''
Business Insider ''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German publ ...
'' speculated that, according to box-office experts, Warner Bros. overestimated ''The Shining''s influence among younger audiences, who don't care much about Kubrick's film, as well as the mistake Warner Bros. made to release the film worldwide in November after Halloween.


Critical response

On
review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...
, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critics consensus reads, "''Doctor Sleep'' forsakes the elemental terror of its predecessor for a more contemplative sequel that balances poignant themes against spine-tingling chills."
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
assigned the film a weighted average score of 59 out of 100, based on 46 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by
CinemaScore CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data. Background Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those surveyed at PostTrak gave it an average four out of five, with 60% saying they would definitely recommend it to a friend. Brian Tallerico of '' RogerEbert.com'' gave the film three out of four, stating, "Flanagan was tasked with making a sequel to a film that stays loyal to a book that ignores the changes made in the first movie. That ain't easy... And while one can sometimes feel Flanagan struggling to satisfy both King and Kubrick fans when he really should be trusting his own vision, he's talented enough to pull off this difficult blend of legacies." Simran Hans of ''
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'' gave the film four out of five, noting "adapting Stephen King is one thing, writing a spiritual sequel to a Stanley Kubrick movie quite another. Director Mike Flanagan takes on King's 2013 follow-up novel to ''The Shining'', but adjusts some details to ensure continuity with Kubrick's cult 1980 adaptation of the original book... The new material is fresher and considerably more fun." BBC's critic Nicholas Barber gave the film four out of five and stated, "Credible in its characterisation, rich in mythological detail, and touchingly sincere in its treatment of alcoholism and trauma, the film is impressive in all sorts of ways. But its greatest achievement is that it makes ''The Shining'' seem like a prequel – a tantalising glimpse of a richer and more substantial narrative." Chris Hewitt of ''
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'' gave the film three out of five and noted, "Working off source material that is very different from its predecessor, anyone expecting a straightforward ''Shining'' sequel will be disappointed. This isn't a gruelling exercise in pure horror. It's odder and more contemplative, but worth checking in." Kyle Smith of ''
National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by the author William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief ...
'' wrote "Though Kubrick's adaptation and ''
The Shawshank Redemption ''The Shawshank Redemption'' is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont, based on the 1982 Stephen King novella '' Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption''. It tells the story of banker Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), ...
'' are the only films made from King's stories that achieved greatness, nearly everything he writes contains at least one brilliantly twisted element, and ''Doctor Sleep'' has lots of them. It's a shame that more top-tier directors haven't chosen to dig around in the capacious mines of King's imagination."
Peter Travers Peter Joseph Travers (born ) is an American film critic, journalist, and television presenter. He reviews films for ABC News and previously served as a movie critic for ''People'' and ''Rolling Stone''. Travers also hosts the film interview prog ...
of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its cov ...
'' gave the film three out of five stars, saying: "''Doctor Sleep'' relies way too much on borrowed inspiration and eventually runs out of — pardon the word — steam. But this flawed hybrid of King and Kubrick still has the stuff to keep you up nights." Angelica Jade Bastién of ''
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'' wrote "The film aims in its closing moments to be bittersweet yet hopeful. Instead, it has an unintended, even dour messaging about the cost of escaping your past and whether that's even possible in life. ''Doctor Sleep'' could probably never fully stand on its own, and perhaps it's not meant to. It's a horror film with messy pleasures if you're able to meet it on its own level." Todd McCarthy of ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' stated, "It doesn't have Jack Nicholson, Stanley Kubrick or even much of the Overlook Hotel, but Rebecca Ferguson and other good actors provide some shine of their own in ''Doctor Sleep'', a drawn-out and seldom pulse-quickening follow-up to ''The Shining'' that still has enough going on to forestall any audience slumber." Tim Grierson of ''
Screen Daily ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involved in the global film business. ...
'' commented, "For a horror director, Flanagan is particularly adept with actors, concerned more about character arcs than cheap frights. That's why ''Doctor Sleep''s uninspired plotting feels even more disappointing. Flanagan gives us such a sense of these people — their demons, their fears, their resilience — that it's a shame that the twists and turns aren't as compelling. Not everyone will make it out alive from the Overlook, but Flanagan brings enough smarts and soul to the flawed, fascinating ''Doctor Sleep'' that he manages to escape ''The Shining''s shadow mostly unscathed." Michael O'Sullivan of ''
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'' gave the film two stars out of four and wrote "Part homage to Kubrick's moody atmospherics, and part hyper-literal superhero story, ''Doctor Sleep'' is stylish, engrossing, at times frustratingly illogical and, ultimately less than profoundly unsettling... ''Doctor Sleep'' will by no means make you drowsy, but it won't keep anyone up at night either." Austin Collins of '' Vanity Fair'' added "''Doctor Sleep'' is a horror movie, but what's immediately striking is its sudden breadth, it's humble resistance to the usual perils and thrills of blockbuster. It's refreshing. This is a story that feels larger than it is, in part because this story takes the shine and does something with it, reveals it for the tenuous, impermanent, vulnerable force that it is." Michael Roffman of ''
Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outloo ...
'' mentioned "''Doctor Sleep'' shouldn't work. Even now, the idea of making a big-budget sequel to arguably the greatest horror film of all time reads like a disaster on paper. Yet, to our surprise, Flanagan's execution warrants its existence." Tom Philip of '' GQ'' wrote "while Flanagan delivers an ending that sort of respects King's book and rhymes with ''The Shining''s filmed conclusion, it all feels quite forced. At its heart, this is a film about a son rejecting his destiny to become his ghoulish father and forge his own path. It's a shame ''Doctor Sleep'' doesn't have the guts to do the same." Johnny Oleksinski of ''
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'' gave the film three out of four and said, "The movie skillfully builds to the tense final sequence, in which writer/director Mike Flanagan has re-created the hotel just as it was in the 1980 film. He even films it in Kubrick's cavernous, blinding manner." David Sims of ''
The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'' said, "Flanagan clearly understands how Kubrick's adaptation eclipsed King's attachment to the original story and became entrenched in the broader culture. But this movie is still just a very good facsimile. ''Doctor Sleep'' is wonderfully reverent when it comes to Kubrick's film, but that means it can't escape ''The Shining''s shadow, no matter how much King might have wanted it to." Eric Kohn of
IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Holly ...
gave the film a C+ grade, commenting, "... ''Doctor Sleep'' shows considerable effort to ingratiate itself to discerning cinephiles, from the moody Newton Brothers score to cinematographer Michael Fimognari's dark blue nighttime palette; as a whole, the movie conjures an eerie and wondrous atmosphere that blends abject terror with a somber, mournful quality unique to Flanagan's oeuvre. But his pandering to dueling source material results in a jagged puzzle beneath both of their standards". Alison Foreman of
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stated, "''Doctor Sleep'' could have tried to be ''The Shining''s sequel, an intimidated son yearning to be like his father. Instead, it's entirely new... ''Doctor Sleep'' isn't ''The Shining'', but it does shine." Justin Chang of ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' wrote, "You can't blame Flanagan for fetishizing the visual iconography of Kubrick's movie, for plunging back into his funhouse of horrors like the proverbial kid in a candy store. But the effect can't help but fundamentally alter the tone and intent of ''Doctor Sleep'', briefly transforming a richly disturbing fantasy into an extravagant act of fan service. It taps into the minutiae of Kubrick's masterwork without fully teasing out its mystery."


Accolades


Future

Prior to the film's release, Warner Bros. had enough confidence in the film that they hired Flanagan to script a prequel with the working title ''Hallorann'', focusing on the character of
Dick Hallorann Richard Hallorann is a fictional character created by Stephen King from his 1977 novel '' The Shining''. He has telepathic abilities he called "the shining" and is the head chef at the Overlook Hotel. He meets Danny Torrance, a young boy who is ...
. Following the disappointing box-office performance of ''Doctor Sleep'', the future of the project was cancelled. Flanagan also confirmed that he was interested in directing a sequel focused on Abra Stone, and that he had asked King, who was open to the idea.


See also

* Psychic vampire *
List of adaptations of works by Stephen King This is a list of media based on work by Stephen King (including the Richard Bachman titles). Note that aside from ''Creepshow 2'', ''It Chapter Two'', and '' Doctor Sleep'', the sequels are only tangentially related to Stephen King's work. King ...
* List of vampire films


References


External links

* * {{Mike Flanagan 2010s ghost films 2010s supernatural horror films 2019 horror films 2019 films American buddy films American ghost films American road movies American supernatural horror films American vampire films American sequel films Astral projection in popular culture Films set in 1980 Films set in 2011 Films set in 2019 Films about alcoholism Films about cults Films about psychic powers Films about child death Films based on American horror novels Films based on works by Stephen King Films directed by Mike Flanagan Films scored by the Newton Brothers Films set in Colorado Films set in Florida Films set in hotels Films set in Iowa Films set in New Hampshire Films set in New Jersey Films shot in Atlanta The Shining (franchise) Vertigo Entertainment films Warner Bros. films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films ja:ドクター・スリープ#映画