Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Doctor Sleep’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Over the course of its illustrious history, the horror genre has provided audiences from all walks of life with some genuinely terrifying monsters to spend time with. Such as the vampire, a clever and charming creature that can seduce its way into a meal. Or there’s the werewolf, a being that always represented our more primal nature. Plus, the genre has always provided us with quality stories involving ghosts since spirits can basically do just about anything in print or on screen. And, of course, who could forget the wonder of the zombie? A creature that started out as a poor soul that was under the influence of voodoo, before evolving into an undead flesh-eating nightmare that insults death and everything that it stands for.
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Yet one word matters above all else in regard to that cornucopia of creatures that go bump in the night, and that’s evolution. Because what’s kept this genre alive for so long is the sheer fact that it, and its many monsters evolve as the times change. Which is why every last one of them is relevant in 2020 and evolution is also why some of these terrors have shared screen time and page space with the worst monster of them all; mankind. For the modern age has put the cruelty that we are capable of on display like never before, allowing for man to take the center stage in a great many horror tale. And yet, while our own species has made for some memorable monsters in modern horror, the evolution continues along, to the point where the demons we carry in our minds and our hearts are now receiving their due in fiction and for proof, look no further than the horror masterpiece, Doctor Sleep.

Now for those unfamiliar with this particular sequel, in it we follow up with Danny Torrance thirty-nine years after the events of The Shining and sadly, the years following his stay at The Overlook Hotel have not been good ones. In fact, Danny has followed in his father’s footsteps and taken to the bottle. In part to dull his unresolved trauma but also to keep his shine dull and hidden from the world. But his rock bottom moment changes his outlook on life and the future and prompts Danny to get clean, and just when it seems as though his life is on track for the first time ever; fate throws quite the roadblock in his path. For he has met through his gift, a young girl named Abra who shines as bright as he does and unfortunately for the both of them, an ancient group of vampires who feed upon the Shining have discovered Abra and her power and it will be up to Dan to step in and save her from a horrible fate at the hands of the group known as the True Knot.

So, before we dive deep into the powerful themes that this motion picture sends our way, the first thing we need to discuss and celebrate, is what a technical marvel this story turned out to be. Because Writer/Director Mike Flanagan has done the outright impossible and crafted a script that actually manages to please every single fan of The Shining universe. Because not only is it a quality direct sequel to the 1980 Kubrick film, it blends together the original Stephen King novel and the TV remake and the novelized sequel as well and that is no small feat. And when one takes that mastery and combines with it rebuilt sets from the Kubrick film, you’re left with a flawless story in every sense of the word, one that draws you in and leaves you in awe.

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However, all technical prowess aside, what really makes this movie worth one’s while is everything that it has to say about the power of trauma. Because Dan Torrance is in a bad place in this story and it is clear from the get-go that he’s never overcome the horrors of The Overlook Hotel and every terrifying moment that he experienced within its walls are with him every day and well, that’s another reason why he self-medicates and does everything he can to avoid having to face his pain. And it is truly incredible to see a modern horror film present the painful struggle of a traumatic past in such realistic and uncomfortable light and the gravity of trauma’s power doesn’t end with Danny’s journey to rock bottom for that matter either.
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For this film also takes the time to explore how we cope with trauma when we aren’t quite ready to move on from it and it dives into that by way of a unique concept; Danny’s ghostly lock boxes. Because while it seems at first that he is doing the world a solid by locking away the various ghosts of the Overlook, when one digs deeper, he’s doing what many of us do; he’s burying that pain deep down into the recesses of his soul. Yet that isn’t the only way that the film explores how we cope with past pain, because it also reminds us that sometimes we bury ourselves into other people’s problems and strife in the hopes of healing ourselves by helping them, as evidenced by Danny’s side duties as Doctor Sleep. As though offering comfort to those who are in their final moments, restores that part of his soul that he left at the hotel.

But while this exploration is powerful and fascinating in its own right, truly the centerpiece of this motion picture is the message it carries in regard to what we have to do when it comes to overcoming and moving on from trauma in that; we have to confront it. Which is precisely what Danny does by returning to the Overlook Hotel with Abra, and this sequence is about as incredible as they come. Because not only does it offer up some serious fan service, but seeing Dan walk those halls while old memories wash over him is oddly inspiring in its own right, since he is doing what so many of us fear and facing the darkest parts of his past and seeing a story element that uplifting and that healthy in this genre is simply rare, but it is handled here in brilliant fashion. 

However, while this movie clearly dives deep into a great many psychological elements, make no mistake about it, it is still a quality horror film as well. For the scares here are top notch and the sequences where the True Knot feed are genuinely disturbing. Plus, the performances here are excellent and Ewan McGregor (Dan Torrance), Rebecca Ferguson (Rose the Hat) and Kyliegh Curran (Abra Stone) add gravity and depth to the subject material with their portrayals of these iconic and important characters and really in the end, this is a must-see horror film. Because it really is a worthy successor to Stanley Kubrick’s horror masterpiece, but more importantly this is everything you could ask for in a horror film and more. Since it reminds us that sometimes the greatest monsters of all are the ghosts, we carry with us, and that is a terrifying prospect indeed.

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