Rating: 2.5/5
Danny and Wendy move to Florida after the events of The Shining. The spirit of Dick Hallorann shows up to Danny, showing him how to trap the evil spirits that want to consume his shine.
Years later, Danny is a drunk like his father, doing everything possible to dull the shine. He travels north to get a job in New Hampshire and join AA.
A girl in New Hampshire named Abra feels Danny’s shine and the two communicate with one another.
A group of psychic vampires called The True Knot build their numbers and seek children with the shine to torture and consume their pain. Abra experiences another child’s death, so she calls on Danny to help find these people.
When Rosie, the leader of The True Knot, detects Abra watching, they set their sights on the biggest source of shine they’ve consumed.
I read the book a few years ago. It was beyond disappointing. It was easy enough to read, though, being a Stephen King book.
They do a good job at the vampire deaths, and it’s very satisfying to watch the evil folks squirm. But Danny and Abra are too strong together, so the stakes don’t feel high.
The reason The Shining movie works is that it throws away the parts of the book that try to over-explain everything.
This movie is a miniseries condensed into a bloated 2.5-hour movie. That’s what happens when you’re too married to the source material. This material was not worth it.
SPOILERS
The third act here is better than the Doctor Sleep book.
In The Shining book, The Overlook caught fire when the boilers overheated. When they go there in Doctor Sleep, Danny isn’t aware that he’s where The Overlook used to be.
This movie follows the events of The Shining movie, where The Overlook still stands. This also has The Shining book’s ending. The boiler overheats. The Overlook burns down.
All the tiny details from The Shining movie are satisfying, but it’s telling when the best parts of your movie are images from the previous one.