Doctor Sleep Trailer Breakdown: 10 Things You Need To See

Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is a genuine masterpiece of horror filmmaking, and has rightly been hailed as such for decades now. However, Stephen King could not possibly disagree more. He feels that Kubrick’s film is an unfit adaptation of his book and has long been exceedingly vocal about his disdain for the film and its reputation.

To top this off, the narrative of Kubrick’s film differs substantially from King’s book in ways both big and small. For instance, in King’s book, Dick Hallorann survives, whereas, in the film, Jack butchers him with an ax. Similarly, King’s book is far more overtly fantastical than Kubrick’s largely meditative film.

So making a film adaptation of Doctor Sleep comes with one big question; which version are you making a sequel to?

As it turns out, it looks as though Flanagan may be looking to strike just the right balance of both. The trailer certainly does not shy away from linking itself to Kubrick’s original film (see: the numerous references to that film) but it also goes out of its way to show off some setpieces that are a great deal more rooted in the fantastical nature of King’s work (see: the True Knot gang).