Many horror fans are familiar with Stephen King for his catalog of books and the adaptations they’ve spawned. Of course, there have been times where adaptations were made less frequently, though in the late 2010’s they made quite a comeback. Now one such Stephen King adaptation is available to stream for free on Tubi.
Mike Flanagan, whose work includes the likes of Oculus, Hush, and the Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House, has adapted several Stephen King stories over the years. One of the biggest adaptations, and perhaps most underrated, was released in 2019.
Of course, given that this particular adaptation was a sequel to one of the most successful King adaptations of all time, it was bound to be somewhat left in its shadow. For those unaware, the film at hand happens to be a sequel to Stanley Kubrick‘s 1980 film The Shining, all while adapting King’s follow-up novel, Doctor Sleep, which followed the novel on which Kubrick’s film was based.
Indeed, Doctor Sleep was a complicated adaptation. It not only had to follow King’s original text, but there was a massive set of expectations from fans that hoped to see it follow Kubrick’s interpretation. And, considering his film differs greatly from King’s novel, there were plenty of changes that had to be made. Ultimately, however, Mike Flanagan did a terrific job adapting Doctor Sleep.
In addition to following the events of the novel, it picks up where Stanley Kubrick’s film left off, and even brings it full-circle with the original novel on which it was based. Ewan McGregor gives an excellent performance as a much older Dan Torrance, and there are plenty of other characters and familiar faces from the original Shining film.
Although it failed to break the box office like Andy Muschietti’s IT, Doctor Sleep is still a great example of what Mike Flanagan can do with the iconic author’s works, and what kind of following a film made with true passion can generate.
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