People really slept on how good this movie was... i'll see myself out

As someone who read the books and saw the films, I had exactly the same feeling as you of reconciliation between the author's original intent and the most known film adaptation's visual meaning. Thank you for putting that interpretation to a video essay.

When I walked out the theater after Doctor Sleep my biggest takeaway was how amazed I was that it had somehow managed to be both a faithful adaptation and also a sequel to the Kubrik Shining. It blew my mind in the best way. True skill.

It's perhaps poetic that Doctor Sleep is currently being overlooked in much the same way The Shining was initially panned, in time the films' value will shine through

I've always felt the fact Mike Flanagan seems to hold reverence for both King and Kubrick is what made him the perfect director to make a film that follow both of those artist's works, creating something that I've always felt is a perfect middle ground between the two This video really helps fleshing out those feelings I had when coming out of the theater after seeing this film

Absolutely agree with your analysis. This is exactly why I liked the movie so much. As for his “turning”, I saw it as more plot necessary as he had to vomit out all the Overlook ghosts to kill Rose and he had to distract the Hotel long enough for it to not notice the boiler. So while Jack was possessed for real, Danny allowed himself to be possessed to destroy the Overlook.

Mike Flanagan is the man. I can't wait to see everything he puts out after Hill House, Bly Manor and Midnight Mass. Doctor sleep is a movie I will never regret missing out in cinema.

This is an amazing video. I’ve been a huge fan of Mike Flanagan for years, and while I always really liked the Doctor Sleep movie, your video made me realize just how good it actually is. The only thing I’m surprised you didn’t bring up was Flanagan’s own struggle with addiction that I’m sure made Doctor Sleep feel so real to the Shining novel

The best "wrong" ending ever brought to the screen. It fills in the emotional gaps of Kubrik's adaptation and reconciles two versions of the story that until then had always been irreconcilably opposed. I was in ecstasy when I came out of the cinema. This film is a stroke of genius on more than one level.

'The world is a hungry place' Probably the best line ever spoken, it bridges the gap between King and Kubrick, my own opinion of course..

Great video. WB backed _Doctor Sleep_ with a lackluster campaign & the film was indistinguishable from any throwaway King adaptation. I caught it with muted interest, expected nothing, and it completely blew me away. More than a great Action/Horror flick, _Doctor Sleep_ is a surprisingly thoughtful & intimate examination of trauma, abuse, depression, grief, & death. The _"Aliens"_ to _The Shining's_ _"Alien"_ - it's a special film, a (near) masterpiece, & was the Best Picture of 2019 (imo). _Gerald's Game_ is excellent too - a Flanagan produced _Dark Tower_ series would be aces.

Greatly underrated. Watching "Shining" and "Sleep" back to back is almost as rewarding as the Godfather, and it's sequel. In "Sleep", Rebecca Ferguson as Rose the Hat was particularly effective and just flat out scary. She had such a strong presence, I thought she was probably around 5'10" to 6 feet tall. She's actually 5' 6".

Everything you've said in this essay. But also! There's no denial that seeing King likes this adaptation after his expectations weren't met with Kubrick's film, really warms my heart. I'm happy to see him happy. :)

I was so surprised by how good this movie was. The Shining is one of my favorite movies of all time and I went in expecting an inferior follow up to Kubrick but as someone with trauma who’s worked very hard at overcoming it despite resorting to my own bad coping mechanisms, it really hit home for me and even made me cry.

I agree that the Overlook possessing adult Danny seems wrong, but I'm curious if that was a concession to get the scene from the original book where Danny brings Jack back temporarily making him "drop the mask" and allow his son to go free and take out the hotel. When I saw the scene with Danny and Abra in Doctor Sleep I knew immediately it was straight from The Shining novel with the roles shifted.

The shining is a certified hood classic in my eyes. It is genuinely that amazing and God help me, Doctor Sleep is criminally overlooked. It's both an amazing adaptation and a beautiful tribute to Kubrick's version of the film. Great movie.

Oh! I adore Steve's face. "It was great to go back to the Overlook." I think I'm misting up.

I just love that Stephen King can also have some closure on Stanley Kubrick’s movie too. He genuinely looked happy with the legacy the movies will have and how they represented his novels.

I remember hearing the story that Kubrick had seen Eraserhead before he made the shining and the he was so enamored with it, he had a screening for the cast and crew before they started shooting. I don’t know how true that story is, but it does make me wonder how it influenced his approach to king’s story.

15:21 Thomas Lerooy's sculpture "You Were on My Mind" is such a chilling artwork and perfectly encapsulates the alcoholic's struggle. Thank you for including it.

Doctor Sleep was an amazing film and a perfect sequel. Flanagan really knows his stuff. The one thing that could have made it better in my opinion would've been a Jack Nicholson cameo. Flanagan approached Nicholson about the film but he was turned down as Jack was adamant about his retirement.

Genuinely such a good movie, I’m so glad you took the time to talk about it!

Thanks for the high quality analysis as always. I liked when you brought up stuff from Dark Tower. Doctor Sleep is honestly such a unique and great movie, and I love Flanagan's work in general, so it's always good to see a review of it.

The chapter transitions in this video are gorgeous.

Yeah this movie was well beyond what I expected. Great film.

Man, this is amazing. The in-depth knowledge of king’s work and the parallelism with the film is beautifully crafted. Thank you for this

That really was a good film and Ewan McGregor was awesome in his role in this movie.

For me, Doctor Sleep is the best thing Flanagan has done.

I love Mike Flanagan and the way he sees a story. It's never quite what I think is going to happen and I am always pleasantly surprised.

Love the subject matter of the video but I'm even more blown away by the editing and atmosphere! This is so well put together!

The Dark Half (1993). Not only is it an insanely underrated King adaptation, but also an insanely underrated George A. Romero horror film. Check it out, people.

I watch the shining every year at Halloween. Your analysis really spoke to me. Well done!

I watched doctor sleep on a flight a few months after it came out and I was very pleasantly surprised. I think Mike Flanagan is definitely a force to be reckoned with in the horror Chandra because his work isn't just about the scary parts but also the humanity Inside all of us. To me every single one of his pieces have been a home run

Kubrick took kings word and turned it into pure genius nightmarish excellence. Nearly everything he touched in cinema would turn to gold, with that Said Mike did a good job.

I'm surprised Dr. Sleep didn't do better, it disturbed and moved me in a way most horror films don't. And then it stuck with me for a long time. I agree with your points here! I thought it was a truly great sequel by enriching the first instead of betraying it. Thanks for articulating this!

It's nice to hear that Steven King managed to find peace with Stanley Kubrick's version.

Such a wonderfully thought out and well put video essay. Seriously couldn't have worded it better; I saw Doctor Sleep opening weekend and immediately gave it my praise and hold it in such high regard

This is an incredibly well edited video. Excellent work! Mike Flanagan is super underrated and needs to be brought to the spotlight as an iconic horror director. Super well done!

Finally got around to seeing the video. I discovered Flanagan's work with Hill House, been hooked on his work since. Great video man

Love this. Your approach, the tone, the pace, everything is perfect and take us to understand the concepts and the connections. I saw the movie and loved it, but seeing your video made me understand it more in deep. Kudos for such a superb work!

I LOVED Dr. Sleep so so much. It brought me to tears. And I think your analysis knocked it out of the park. I’m eager to visit your back catalogue of videos. You earned my subscription!!

Big props to the editing on this video I know it took forever it looks great though 🙌 and I love doctor sleep I feel like it flew under the radar for no reason

This video was incredibly well done and I learned a ton of new things about Mike Flanagan. Also a great perspective on Doctor Sleep. Thank you for this!

I need to go back and re-watch this. Saw it in theaters when it first came out and you just reminded me of how underrated this movie is.

I love these types of break downs. THank you and great vid!

Dude great video and analysis, very well-chosen words! And I should know, I've spent WAY too long consuming video essays on KZfaq, glad the algorithm worked this time

Fantastic analysis! I love the book and film adaptations of The Shining and Doctor Sleep, and Flanagan did an incredible job bridging the gap between the source material of both novels and Kubrick's The Shining.

I was very sceptical of this film being a sequel and adaptation of a book that collided with each other. As you said in the video, Mike somehow pulled it off very well. I honestly believe although the film was not a huge hit or received that well with critics, just like Kubrick's, this film will stand the test of time and be looked back on fondly and appreciated for many years to come.

An amazing video, and finally someone who approaches it with some empathy and value. I love, hell I adore Doctor Sleep also the Shinning and both are indeed so incredible well done. Glad to see someone also sees it this way and understands the concepts made in both movies and the books.

Excellent analysis! Flanagan is a master storyteller and film maker. I already enjoy Doctor Sleep, but now I can rewatch it with a new perspective.

This movie is really layered with a lot of occult meanings, and parallels. Well worth a watch. Great expose, lots of insights in your video, bravo, subscribed.

What an excellent examination of an amazing movie! I am grateful for your efforts to bring a greater understanding to Doctor Sleep. I too am a great admirer of Flanagan! His work is so unbelievably satisfying. I will never forget my experience watching Doctor Sleep in theater, because it (unintentionally) coincided with my 3 year sobriety date. It was an especially affirming viewing for me that I could not have put into better words than you have with this essay. Thank you!

Great work. Anything that hastens along this film’s inevitable critical and popular reassessment is a good thing. Thank you.

What a fantastic review. Thank you.

This movie felt so much into the Kingverse... and that's really something to appreciate. There's a lot of waste in films which are not related to this. Great video!

You did an amazing work. It was a recommendation from youtube's algorithm that brought me here, and I'll make sure to discover the rest of your body of work. Love your vision.

Thank you so much for writing this

Michael Flanagan IS the current film master of horror. Midnight Mass is probably the greatest horror mini series of all time.

Awesome job. Thank you so much for this!

Thank you for your great analysis,it made me feel a little better about Kubrick and his version of The Shining. Just not a fan but I absolutely love Doctor Sleep, not really sure why but it stays with me. Have seen it multiple times. I'm also a fan of Flannigan's and agree that he is adding something new to the horror film/show. Very well done!

This is so well done.👏👏👏👏

I also loved this movie. It's sad that critics and audiences didn't see its true value. Amazing essay! Tahnk you.

Great video. Thank you for making it.

The editing is amazing

Could not agree more. great essay man.

Brilliant video!

Very well said and excellent video! This truly is one of favourite horror films and I do my part to recommend it whenever given the chance! 😁

Wow - thank you for your wonderfull analisis, especially the father son redemption part. I also loved Dr Sleep and did not understand why it did not get better rep.

Just discovered your channel and man this video was awesome! Well done. I too loved this film. Mike did a hell of a job with it. I think it takes the cake on best sequel ish horror movie of late. Nothing better than a film that takes it’s time to build the characters and the world. It almost felt like an old movie brought up to todays visual standards. The actors were phenomenal too. Overall besides the ending act I loved every minute. I’m still shocked it was so overlooked (pun intended) when it came out.

I'm glad you're back

Kubrick does not need to be apologetic about changing King's scenario in "The Shining." Frankly speaking, there is a great difference between the "universe" of the book and the "universe" of the film. Kubrick knew this and used King's book as a "springboard." What he created is a scenario where the viewer puts himself into "the life of the scenario." I feel a part of the scenario of "The Shining" and after 40 viewings, I still return to see it every year. King's book is great, but maybe in a few years, I might return to reread it!

I've been following Flanagan's directorial journey since before Hill House so when I found out he was the director I went from "curious" to "actually excited"

Wonderful analysis!

Ha! Nice work with the Trainspotting cuts for Danny's flashback!

Excellent, man. Excellent. Lavender Jack...Swooping On Down.

Like King I was disappointed with how much character development Kubric took out of the Shining, but Doctor Sleep somehow managed to reconcile both versions of the story perfectly. And you can't deny that the hotel still standing makes for a more climactic ending to the sequel.

Can only hope that down the road this film will get its due.

Good to see you, hope you have a great Halloween 🎃

Great video!

I love the movies! Both of em! I often watch "The Shining" followed by "Doctor Sleep" as I often like to watch any of the movies we own that have any number of sequels in them in succession

I loved this movie a lot. I was really sad when I found out many weren’t fond of it

Fantastic essay! Doctor Sleep deserves more analysis like this.

Having just watched the Shining (in the theater!) for probably the 50th time in my life, this makes me want to revisit Doctor Sleep. I have to keep reminding myself of the whole pretense you are basing this on: that Doctor Sleep is indeed a reconciliation between between King and Kubrick because in Kubrick's version, there is very little (if any) hint that there is a "light side" to Jack. He's essentially pure, unadulterated "evil" in The Shining. It's not that the hotel or the alcohol make him do anything. He has "always been there". He has physically and emotionally abused his family and he's sexually abused Danny long before The Overlook comes into play. Even when he's sober, it's very clear that he's frankly a total monster who consistently demeans his family and keeps them in a constant state of fear and walking on eggshells. I can't remember if Doctor Sleep acknowledges the sexual abuse perpetrated on Dan, although it defiantly parallels the actions of The True Knot and child sexual abuse. I also can't remember but I'm pretty sure that although Danny takes a dive into alcohol abuse and violence, he doesn't veer anywhere near towards becoming a child molester. I think Flanagan and Kubrick tackle some of the same themes but they are very different in their approaches. Kubrick also doesn't touch on Jack's childhood (I don't think it really needs to) whereas Flanagan humanizes Jack. That's just how he rolls. All of Flanagan's films are about trauma and reconciliation and hence lies the perfection of him being chosen to create Doctor Sleep: not only for the reconciliation in the film, but for the reconciliation between King and Kubrick. I think it's very true that to create effective horror, you have create a story that deeply explores characters and depicts love to get the audience invested in the first place. Somehow Kubrick created possibly the best horror film ever made without doing much of this at all. Of course there is the love between Wendy and Danny that we are given glimpses of (and that ultimately wins in the end) but for the majority of The Shining, Wendy fails to keep Danny safe and she certainly can't keep herself safe ( as is true in most domestic abuse scenarios). In any case, great analysis! I'm going to watch Doctor Sleep tonight!

I predict that this film will take it's place next to 'The Shining' as one of the all-time great horror films of all time. Horror is not a setting, horror is not an event, horror is not a jump scare. Horrror is about the shitty parts of us we're trying to deal with. To quote Ron D. Moore, 'It's the characters, stupid!'

Great essay! I loved the film I think is on a short list of amazing secuels to a great film and I enoyed it a lot!

Awesome vid as always man. Love Flanagans work so much :)

this is excellent. omg thank you sm.

A highly underated film! Instant classic,like the Shining before it.

My friend, I don't what to say, you have... Expressed this Film in a way that is, Unparalleled and quite Beautiful. Im stunned, You are a true Craftsman. I know it all too well. I will revisit this and dig myself out. Thank you. I will Subscribe, and all the things, you are cut from a different Cloth. God Bless You 🙏.

Awesome 😎 thanks brother!!🙏

Great Video!!!!

I think you hit the nail right on the head...Stanley Kubrick's Shining was a master piece that haunting and still thought provoking. But the ending definitely lacked that usually ending of Stephen King, and left so many questions on what will happen to Danny and Wendy... Yet Flanagan's Dr Sleep gave me the chills of the Overlook Hotel and some of the visions and we saw the cycle finally broken with violence and alcoholism with Danny. It had a redemption and it wrapped up Dr Sleep and the original Shining... It really could have been a disaster or shlock but he weaved the stories together and came with an ending that emotional cathartic release. I am sure Kubrick would have hated it, but it's not a Kubrick film, it's a Flanagan film and it's good in my books

Dr Sleep is a movie that makes me cry. I like it when horror movies are beautiful. Jacobs Ladder is another beautiful horror movie.

I know Flanagan's dream King adaptation is The Dark Tower series... I honestly think if he and Frank Darabont worked together they could do a bang up job of adapting that series for a cinematic streaming series... as they are two of the best directors to have adapted Kings work.

i loved this movie, its still on my pvr and has been for about 2 years now

Great video. In the future, I think it would be helpful for the audience to put the name of the TV/ Movie and its year in the corner of the video when showing clips from multiple sources. That way its a bit more rooted. Ryan Hollinger does this in his videos and it works really well.

Yes. Thank you. You helped me figure out why this movie resonated so much with me. Because on top of everything else I loved about it, we have yet another interpretation of Pinocchio saving his father from the belly of the whale. Just as Luke and Vader represent the same archetype.

Interesting take on the themes and story that I don't think I really considered when I first saw it. I remember thinking the movie was mostly quiet good. The parts that mirrored Kubrick's movie where probably what bothered me the most, though. That and the kind of underwhelming villain characters were stuff I wasn't too enamored with. Watching this video makes me want to go back and watch the movie again. Maybe I'll appreciate and enjoy those parts I didn't enjoy so much on first viewing. Happy Halloween :)

Ka's a wheel, and having The Dark Tower at the bottom of the adaptation graph, I think I found another fan of the tower. Do ya ken it.

Loved this insightful analysis and this movie! And I love that Stephen King loved it too!