The Stephen King Sequel Adaptation That's Closer to the Book Than the Original (2024)

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The Stephen King Sequel Adaptation That's Closer to the Book Than the Original (1)

The Stephen King Sequel Adaptation That's Closer to the Book Than the Original (2)

By Sean Alexander & Arthur Goyaz

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The Stephen King Sequel Adaptation That's Closer to the Book Than the Original (3)

When writer and director Mike Flanagan was given the green light to adapt Doctor Sleep, the sequel to Stephen King's The Shining, he inherently understood it would be one of the most difficult juggling acts in the history of filmmaking. After all, the film's source material was a direct continuation of the novel version of The Shining, which is wildly different from Stanley Kubrick's acclaimed 1980 film adaptation. In addition, King has always notoriously rebuked Kubrick's rendition of his story.

Thus, Mike Flanagan was in something of a conundrum. He could have ignored the cinematic legacy of the most acclaimed horror film ever and focused on making a faithful adaptation of Doctor Sleep. Or, he could have ignored the plotting mechanics of the book and used its universe to pay loving tribute to the story Stanley Kubrick brought to life over 40 years ago. In actuality, Flanagan found a way to bridge both gaps, paying homage to one of the most memorable horror films ever made while remaining faithful to the ideas and intricacies of Stephen King's original work.

Updated on October 10, 2024, by Arthur Goyaz: Doctor Sleep is a major departure from what Stanley Kubrick accomplished with The Shining, but it hits all the right notes when it comes to adapting Stephen King's sequel. This article was updated to discuss the ongoing collaboration between Flanagan and King further.

What is Doctor Sleep About?

Confronting Mistakes From the Past to Make Way for the Future

Doctor Sleep reintroduces audiences to Daniel Torrance (played in the film adaptation by Ewan McGregor), whose father, Jack Torrance (played by Jack Nicholson in The Shining), lost his mind — and life — while serving as a caretaker at the Overlook Hotel one winter when Danny was still just a boy. Decades later, Danny is wrestling with many of the same demons his father once was. Now a grown man, he's battling alcoholism and is practically incapable of keeping a job or maintaining any serious relationships.

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Soon, Danny hits rock bottom and relocates to a small New Hampshire town. A friend finds him a job at a hospice center, and he begins using his telepathic abilities (known as his shining powers) to help the center's elderly residents make peace with death. Unbeknownst to Danny, a young girl named Abra Stone (Kyliegh Curran in the film) has even more powerful shining abilities than he does, and she's in trouble. She's being hunted for her essence or life force by a group of psychic vampires who go by True Knot and are led by an intimidating presence in Rose the Hat — Rebecca Ferguson in one of her most memorable roles.

After Abra enters Danny's life, he finally can atone for his past mistakes and make peace with his legacy. Whether reading the book version of Doctor Sleep by Stephen King or watching Mike Flanagan's adaptation, the aforementioned premise is the story's starting point. In both versions, this chain of events will also bring Danny back to Colorado and the location of the Overlook Hotel. The one all-encompassing difference between the original novel and the adaptation is what happens on that hallow and haunted ground.

What Role Does the Overlook Hotel Play in the Novel and Adaptation?

It's the Linchpin of Both Iterations of the Story

There were many differences between Stephen King's version of The Shining and Stanley Kubrick's. Some differences were minor, like altering Room 217 to Room 237. Others were more prominent, such as completely changing the character of Jack Torrance from a struggling alcoholic who's struggling to be a better husband and father to the off-the-wall histrionics that Jack Nicholson displays from the beginning of The Shining. Then, there was the ending.

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In both the book and movie, Jack falls off the wagon, descends into madness, and attempts to murder his wife and son, all while being urged along by the ghosts of the Overlook Hotel. Jack fails to harm his family in both versions, but his fate (and the Overlook's) vary wildly. In the book, Jack is killed when the boiler room of the Overlook Hotel — which he has neglected — explodes, killing Jack and burning the hotel to the ground. In Kubrick's film, Danny lures Jack into the freezing snow and the center of the gigantic hedge maze, where Jack loses his way and freezes to death.

Thus, in one version of Doctor Sleep (the novel), the Overlook Hotel has already been destroyed, while in the other (the film), it's still standing. Mike Flanagan used this inflection point to bind his adaptation of Doctor Sleep with Stephen King's original novel and Kubrick's acclaimed film. For the most part, much of the narrative (and the character dynamics) plays out in Flanagan's version of Doctor Sleep, similarly to how they do in the book, and it isn't until the film's chaotic final act that the allusions to Kubrick's film become utterly undeniable.

What Are the Similarities Between the Book and the Adaptation of Doctor Sleep?

Characters, Scope, and Theme Are All in Lock-Step

As mentioned, much of Doctor's Sleep's set-up plays out the same in both the book and the movie, with Danny Torrance attempting to change his life around before getting pulled into the True Knots hunt for Abra Stone. The difference is in the details. For instance, in the film's opening, Danny talks with his good friend and mentor from childhood, Dick Halloran, on how to manage the spirits from the Overlook Hotel, which still occasionally pop up from time to time to haunt him.

In both the book and movie, the scene plays out more or less the same way, but in the book, Dick is alive and well, having survived until the end of King's novel. In the movie, Dick is a ghost that sticks around to keep an eye on Danny, having perished at the end of Kubrick's version of events in one of the most memorable death scenes of all time. To keep the film's plotting as tight as possible, Mike Flanagan wound up consolidating Danny Torrance's support group of friends from the novel version of Doctor Sleep into the form of Billy Freeman (played by Cliff Curtis).

Sure, that's an alteration from the source material, but in terms of form and function, Freeman stands in for Danny's other friends from the book, like Casey Kingsley. This makes it easier for audiences to follow along. Once the third and final act begins, both versions of Doctor Sleep play out much the same way, at least in spirit. Danny, Abra, and their group of allies make one final stand against Rose and the remaining members of the True Knot. The two stories most notably differ in the setting and conclusion of that pivotal moment.

What Changes Were Made to Doctor Sleep's Original Story?

Sometimes, A Story Needs to Go Out With a Bigger Bang

As faithful an adaptation as Mike Flanagan's Doctor Sleep is in spirit to Stephen King's original novel, other alterations were made outside the critical ones at the end of the story. Superfluous characters like Danny's AA sponsor, Casey Kingsley, and Dr. John Dalton are either removed from the story entirely or given minimal screen time. Meanwhile, other more important supporting characters from the book, such as Abra's grandmother, Concetta Reynolds, are also left behind.

Concetta Reynolds might be the most notable absence from Doctor Sleep. Stephen King surprised his loyal reading audience by revealing she had a romantic relationship with Danny's father, Jack Torrance, long ago. Thus, Danny and Abra are related by blood, which gives new meaning to Abra's loving pet name throughout the film for Danny, "Uncle Dan." Jack Torrance's role in Doctor Sleep has also been altered between the novel and the film.

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In Flanagan's adaptation of the story, Jack appears as a ghost at the Overlook Hotel's bar, insisting he's a man named Lloyd. He then tries to persuade his alcoholic son to take a sip of whiskey. Despite clearly working against his son's interests, Danny remains strong and refuses to give in. In the book, Jack's presence is much more benign. He even helps Danny in the battle against Rose at the story's conclusion and sees his son off at the end in a beat oddly reminiscent of the force ghosts seen at the end of Return of the Jedi.

As notable as all those changes are, the most significant alteration made in the adaptation of Doctor Sleep arrives at the film's end. In the novel, Danny and his allies' final battle against Rose and the True Knot plays out amongst the burnt-out remains of the Overlook Hotel. Meanwhile, in the film, that final confrontation takes place inside the hotel, which is still standing. Danny's fate has also been altered. In the book, Danny survives this harrowing battle and returns to his job as a hospice nurse. In the film, Danny finally does what his father couldn't and destroys the Overlook Hotel but seemingly perishes as the boiler bursts into flames.

What Did Stephen King Think of the Doctor Sleep Adaptation?

He Loved It So Much, It Made Him Reappreciate The Shining

The Stephen King Sequel Adaptation That's Closer to the Book Than the Original (7)

Most horror fans can tell you how little Stephen King famously cares for Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of The Shining. He previously accused the director of having no sense of emotional investment in the Torrance family, which resulted in a film that, while beautiful to look at, felt oddly hollow and empty to King. It begs to wonder, with King having been so fervently against The Shining, how would he respond to a film that attempted to pay tribute to it while also doing right by his book? Surprisingly well, actually.

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Having previously worked with director Mike Flanagan for an adaptation of Gerald's Game, Stephen King already had a business relationship with Flanagan and knew what he was getting himself into. When he read Flanagan's first draft, he was further ratified in his decision, believing that the screenplay artfully avoided all the pitfalls of Kubrick's adaptation. Then, when he saw the film, he gave it the most robust possible endorsement he possibly could, saying,

"I don't want to get into a big argument about how great The Shining film is by Kubrick or my feelings about it. All I can say is, Mike took my material, he created a terrific story, people who have seen this movie flip for it, and I flipped for it, too. Because he managed to take my novel of Doctor Sleep, the sequel, and somehow weld it seamlessly to the Kubrick version of The Shining, the movie. So, yeah, I liked it a lot."

Which Version of Doctor Sleep is the Most Effective?

Only One Version Will Truly Keep You Up At Night

The Stephen King Sequel Adaptation That's Closer to the Book Than the Original (9)

Subjectivity reigns supreme regarding questions like, "Which is better, the book or the movie?" But when discussing Doctor Sleep , a few things are undeniable. For one, it's not often (especially for Stephen King) that an adaptation is darker and more terrifying than the original, but that's certainly the case here. Between the dour ending, haunting visuals, and the incorporation of elements of Kubrick's The Shining, the movie is hands down scarier than the book. Even more controversially, it's also flat-out better.

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King knew exactly where he was headed when he decided to write Doctor Sleep. The novel wasn't supposed to pick up from where The Shining left, for that story was over, but Danny Torrance felt like the perfect character for the new story he had in mind. Danny's "shining" abilities perfectly matched the psychic threats of Doctor Sleep, and King wanted to explore what Danny would be like as an adult. In that sense, King's version of Doctor Sleep only meets The Shining on the surface — it's the Overlook Hotel's shadow that hangs over Danny in the book.

In Doctor Sleep's film adaptation, on the other hand, the Overlook Hotel is still standing, and Flanagan makes sure to bring back the demons inside it. That alone amps up the horror, as Kubrick's rendition of the hotel's ghosts was as scary as Jack Torrance's descent into madness. Still, it's undeniable that Flanagan was aiming at something darker from the get-go: the scene where the True Knot mercilessly kills the baseball boy says it all.

Mike Flanagan eliminated some of the book's sillier storylines (like an entire subplot involving the True Knot having become infected with the measles) and increased the violence and horror. At the same time, he remained utterly faithful to the intentions of King's original story and the terrifying vision of Kubrick's cinematic mise en scène.

No One Does Justice to Stephen King's Stories Like Mike Flanagan

Flanagan and King Established a Promising Long-Term Collaboration

It's difficult to keep track of the many Stephen King movie adaptations out there. The man is pretty much the horror equivalent of William Shakespeare. Only in 2024, will there be two movies based on King's stories: Salem's Lot, the latest adaptation of King's iconic vampire epic, and The Life of Chuck, which happens to be Flanagan's latest tribute to the horror master. In addition, Edgar Wright's The Running Man and Osgood Perkins' The Monkey are set to be released in the coming year or so.

Regardless of how big the name attached to a Stephen King project is, there's always a certain wariness regarding how faithful the movie/TV show will be to the source material. However, no one's doing it like Flanagan. He's developed a horror vision of his own with projects like Oculus and The Haunting series. Flanagan's creative identity can be recognized in all of his Stephen King adaptations, which include his two latest movies, Gerald's Game and Doctor Sleep, and his upcoming one, The Life of Chuck. This is without dismissing the foundation of King's ideas in each story. Flanagan always keeps an ear out for King's opinions, keeping the writer close in the pre-production stages of his adaptations.

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This makes Flanagan the perfect auteur to adapt King's books because he's faithful to what works in these stories, but isn't scared to discard what doesn't. Doctor Sleep is the best example of it. Flanagan's creative liberties dictate the course of the movie, but the outcome is ultimately the same, if not better. Most fans feel lucky to be born at a time when these two talented horror artists coexist. The next big step in this collaboration is Flanagan's long-anticipated TV adaptation of King's magnum opus, The Dark Tower series, and expectations have been through the roof.

This year, Flanagan won the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival for The Life of Chuck, based on King's novella of the same name. Both the movie and the source material consist of a story told in reverse, and it is one of the rare cases in which King isn't trying to chill his fans to the bone. The story relies on fantasy elements and horror bits, but it's mostly moving and inspiring.

The Stephen King Sequel Adaptation That's Closer to the Book Than the Original (12)
Doctor Sleep

R

Drama

Fantasy

Years following the events of The Shining (1980), a now-adult Dan Torrance must protect a young girl with similar powers from a cult known as The True Knot, who prey on children with powers to remain immortal.

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Director
Mike Flanagan

Release Date
October 21, 2019

Cast
Ewan McGregor , Cliff Curtis , Rebecca Ferguson , Kyliegh Curran
Writers
Mike Flanagan

Runtime
152 minutes
Main Genre
Horror
  • Movies
  • doctor sleep
  • The Shining

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