Doctor Sleep Review: 7 Ups & 3 Downs

2. The Overly Vague Script

The Shining certainly had its narrative ambiguities, but it also kept its core story incredibly simple, training the focus so intently that audiences were typically only puzzled by the things Kubrick wanted them to be puzzled by.

But Doctor Sleep's more sprawling narrative is a little tougher to nail down, largely because it's far more reliant on magic, yet without ever laying down firm rules regarding the mechanics of these powers.

As a result audiences basically need to be prepared to just go with all the supernatural hooey, as things frequently happen "just because."

The villains also feel a touch underdeveloped, likely due to the sheer wealth of content Flanagan is trying to cram in here.

Main antagonist Rose the Hat (Rebecca Ferguson) is compelling yet remains an enigma by film's end, and her band of followers largely amount to little more than props for the most part.

If you're looking for a horror movie with a clearly defined logic, this isn't the one for you.