The Best Stephen King Adaptation Hits Paramount+
Filmmaker Mike Flanagan has been hitting audiences with some of the greatest titles in horror since his feature-length debut via 2011’s Absentia. In the time since, the director has put out some truly terrific films and television shows but his adaptation of Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep is simply unmatched. Oozing with incredible talent, a meaty storyline, and visuals that will simply blow your mind, this isn’t just one of Flanagan’s greatest films but it’s also one of the best adaptations of the legendary author’s works and it’s now streaming on Paramount+.
Little Danny Torrance Is All Grown Up
We’d wager that just about everyone out there knows about Stanley Kubrick’s big-screen reimagining of Stephen King’s timeless horror novel, The Shining. But sadly, less know about the 2013 book, Doctor Sleep, which picked up with the young Danny Torrance – who isn’t so young anymore.
Finding Purpose After The Overlook Ordeal
When audiences are reintroduced to Danny (who in the film is played to perfection by Ewan McGregor), he’s a grownup with an alcohol addiction – just like his dad, Jack.
It’s been decades since the events of Stephen King’s The Shining took place and, in Doctor Sleep, Danny is still shattered by the traumatizing events that went down at the Overlook Hotel during that terrifying winter in his childhood.
After a girl named Abra (Kyliegh Curran) reaches out to Danny with her own “shining” powers, he finds purpose in his life again, a purpose that drives him to keep her safe against a cult that uses the shine of others to live forever.
Rebecca Ferguson Delivers A Terrifying Performance
In case you need more of a reason to watch Mike Flanagan’s underrated adaptation of Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep, we’ll raise the stakes by telling you that Rebecca Ferguson stars as the main villain.
Known for her role in movies like Denis Villeneuve’s Dune franchise and the hit Apple TV+ series, Silo, Ferguson steps into the role of a character known as Rose the Hat.
Rose is the sinister leader of the cult known as the True Knot and is a force to be reckoned with when she goes toe-to-toe with Danny and Abra to suck up their shine.
Critically Acclaimed But Largely Forgotten
A Warner Bros. production, it’s beyond shocking to know that Mike Flanagan’s take on Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep only earned $72.4 million at the global box office against its production budget of $45-55 million. It’s a true shame that the movie wasn’t more financially successful, especially when you consider the overall positive feedback that it garnered from critics. But don’t take our word for it, as even the critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave it the Certified Fresh rating of 79 percent with audiences going even further with 89 percent.
Stream Doctor Sleep On Paramount+
Since dipping into the Stephen King universe with Doctor Sleep, Mike Flanagan has largely been busy creating Netflix shows including The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, and, most recently, The Fall of the House of Usher. But, he’ll soon return to the world of King-penned horror with a TV series adaptation of the author’s The Dark Tower books. While it’s been done before through a film version back in 2017, audiences were pretty divided on how the movie turned out, leaving plenty of space for Flanagan to leave his creative stamp on the project.
While we wait for more news about Flanagan’s take on The Dark Tower, tune into Paramount+ to see the acclaimed director perfectly capture Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep.
