'Doctor Sleep' Movie Reaction | First Time Watching

[@SidPhoenix2211]

This movie makes a strong case for recasting over uncanny valley digital de-aging and deepfakes. People will just adjust to a new actor if their performance is strong enough. And these performances were certainly strong.

[@WARdROBEPlaysWWII]

Amen

[@Everan614]

Especially using incredible actors, I didn't see Henry Thomas at all in my first viewing, I only saw Jack Torrance.

[@ponfed]

Recasting is the best way of doing it. Suspension of disbelief is a thing. And casting talented actors to kinda just, get in the same zone as the originals. It works! It works sooooo much better than deaging. Just get actors that kinda can look like them, but let them capture the spirit of the original. It's cinema, and acting. Don't need the deaging.

[@handsomesquidward5160]

Sebastian Stan as Luke Skywalker comes to mind

[@noobishmacgaming]

Yeah those actors had a tough job and they all nailed it.

[@Strider91]

I have to admit, the girl that played Abra. . . Was phenomenal. The way she essentially played her character and McGregor during that scene in the van. . . It was disturbingly distinct. That alone should be worthy of a reward.

[@neil2444]

It was a scene where it was very important to make a clear distinction in behavior, otherwise it would have been confusing for the audience. She most definitely did a fine job there. First time I saw that scene it was evident to me what was happening.

[@NoleFan74]

So no love for Rebecca Ferguson as Rose the Hat??? Kyliegh Curran as Abra and Rebecca were outstanding!!!

[@kahlbutomacfarland]

I remember when they announced this movie and Flanagan saying he was making a sequel for the movie and the book fans, I didn’t think it was possible and even now am extremely impressed that he pulled it off. So underrated, great movie. Please Hollywood, give this man all he needs to adapt the Dark Tower correctly.

[@WARdROBEPlaysWWII]

And another Amen

[@braddivens5179]

PLEASE YES

[@joshuacoldwater]

Mike Flanagan very rarely fails, and even when he does- it is with a beautiful film that many still love. Him and his wife, if I could meet and learn from any two people it’d be them.

[@Poisonedwight]

I think it was shelved after this movie bombed in box office idk how it did it was so so good

[@firstinthedance]

@@Poisonedwight I think it would have done better if he had filmed the book as it was written. Although the movie was great if you never read the books, a lot of fans were really po'd that Flanagan COMPLETELY changed the ending. Instead of giving fans a movie based on the book, this movie is a strange hybrid based on a fusion of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining and Dr. Sleep. In the book, The Shining, Jack died in the boiler room of the Overlook, when the furnace exploded. Kubrick's version changed that and the hotel didn't explode in the movie. For some reason that I can't understand, Flanagan gave Danny the death that Jack should have had in The Shining. I think that was totally unnecessary. Stephen King already remade The Shining in the 1990s to be true to the book. Long time Stephen King readers know that we don't always get a happy ending. The BOOK, Dr. Sleep, had one of King's best endings. The first 2/3 of this movie followed the book pretty closely - but then it went WAY off the rails, killing characters who DIDN'T die in the book, omitting the fact that Abra REALLY WAS Danny's niece (her mother was Jack's illegitimate daughter - the result of a drunken encounter with one of his students prior to the events at the Overlook), and completely cutting out Abra's grandmother's crucial role altogether. Although I loved the first 2/3 of the movie, I was VERY disappointed by the end. I wanted it to be true to the book.

[@seattlecryptid]

So many folks I've seen react to Doctor Sleep miss the office being exactly the same as the office that Jack went to his interview in, and i'm so glad that Maple caught it. Also the guy who tells the other guy about Baseball boy's accuracy is the original Danny Torrance from "The Shining."

[@Diegesis]

I think it was easier for mapes cause they had seen the shining very recently and most probably split those movies between two different Halloweens

[@elitexpgaming1810]

Read The Dark Towers series and the room being the same as the one Danny's father sat in will make so much sense. 2 sides of the same coin, the whole thing is a battle between light and dark. Sometimes the light wins other times the dark wins. In reality's where the dark wins the beam breaks and weakens the tower at the center or existence.

[@Zholobov1]

What a great movie this is

[@lee32476]

Man, this movie shouldn’t be allowed to go as hard as it did. More people should watch it. king has even said that it’s his favorite adaptation. I’m so glad that y’all were into it. It rips from beginning to end. Also the recasting of the original Torrence family is incredible.

[@Octavian2]

King must really not have a good eye for film if he thinks this is his best. The Shining still reigns supreme on multiple levels, even if it doesn't stick to the source material.

[@lee32476]

@@Octavian2 oh he’s definitely a biased critic, his point was more about how it captures his mood, intent, and the story beats. His issues with the Shining are because of story choices that Kubrick made

[@Poisonedwight]

@@Octavian2king hated Stanley’s shining idk if you get to decide if the author like his own works adaptions

[@Octavian2]

@Poisonedwight Did I say King didn't hate the Shining? No.

[@Soulkeep]

@@Octavian2 he said the adaptation was bad

[@scotiej]

The scene with the baseball kid, the young actor apparently screamed so convincingly, the actors around him needed a break to collect themselves because they were so freaked out by it.

[@robdilauro4344]

There's a photo on the web, Rebecca Ferguson was completely shaken.

[@robincraft4682]

Yes... Rebecca Ferguson was particularly upset to the point of tears.

[@wavehellhole]

@@robincraft4682and of course, the kid was completely unfazed

[@robincraft4682]

@@wavehellhole Got up high fiving the crew 😂

[@riseofazrael]

His name is Jacob Tremblay. Mike Flanagan did an interview and said that he went off script with some of the screaming and crying out it apparently freaked out some of the cast and crew. When they called cut he hopped up and ran over to high five his dad while the actors were all shook lol

[@SidPhoenix2211]

I was so glad to see Abra Stone's actor pop up in Flanagan's latest show, "The Fall of the House of Usher"

[@alexarias5717]

Same here! I'm currently watching it. That girl has a long career ahead of her :)

[@red2977]

I didn't realize that was the same of actor. She really stood out in The Fall of the House of Usher as well. She Definity has a real future ahead of her.

[@robincraft4682]

I had forgotten that Bruce Greenwood ( Roderick Usher) is in this film.

[@SidPhoenix2211]

@@robincraft4682 same!! It was a nice surprise to see him. He was great in Gerald's Game, too. But ofc... Roderick Usher is his best performance

[@alexarias5717]

@@robincraft4682 shit you're right

[@retromillenium]

Fun fact, the guy talking at the bleachers in the baseball game is Danny Lloyd who played Danny Torrance in The Shining.

[@ponfed]

This is Mike "the Flanman" Flanagan... he's one of my faves since Occulus... And he has an eye for actors. Rebecca Fergusson as Rose the Hat is formidable.. I recommend his entire repertoire.

[@SidPhoenix2211]

Love that final shot of Abra casually shutting the door behind her, ready to HANDLE that bathtub lady lol

[@brettbaumler754]

The scene in the bar with Jack is completely original for the movie. Mike Flannigan wrote it as a way to sell Stephen King on the movie, since King is famously not a fan of Kubricks Shining. The scene is perfect because it manages to continue ideas started in Kubricks movie and fuse them with the themes of alcoholism present in the novels.

[@firstinthedance]

I'm po'd at King for allowing Flanagan to butcher Dr. Sleep. Sure, if you've never read either book, the movie is enjoyable. I don't see why Flanagan had to bring Kubrick's version of The Shining (which Steve hated so much that he redid it as a miniseries in the 90s) into a movie based on a different book. He COMPLETELY screwed up the final 1/3 of the movie which isn't based on Dr. Sleep at all. King FINALLY gives a book a great ending, and then he lets Flanagan kill off people who did not die in the book. The whole bit inside the Overlook never happened. Abra's grandmother was never mentioned. The fact that Abra was really Danny's niece was never explained. I loved the movie until it went completely off the rails in the final 1/3.

[@cmjunk3973]

Maple was on fire this reaction lol. So many great lines.

[@blackwolf6082]

Take a drink every time Rose says; 'well hi there'

[@justarandomveryintelligent8934]

So the novel version of the Shining was about Stephen King's struggles with addiction. Jack Torrance was a stand in for King. Jack in the book was an alcoholic and a victim of child abuse who genuinely loved his family and was brute forcing his recovery without any outside assistance like AA. In the book the Overlook gaslit Jack by using his childhood trauma and addiction struggles to set him against his family. He never would have harmed his family without the Overlook. The reason King hates the movie is that Kubrick took this character who represented all of King's personal struggles and turned him into a ticking time bomb that would have gone off regardless of the location. Furthermore, the book ends with Jack blowing up the Overlook and the end of the Doctor Sleep book takes place on a campground that was built on top of where the Overlook once stood. The book version of Doctor Sleep continues the theme of addiction and has an extra massive twist that I won't spoil here but gives an extra strong connection to the first book. Mike Flanagan had to sell King on the fact that he understood King's novels and could incorporate the theme of addiction from both books while still being a sequel to Kubrick's film.

[@firstinthedance]

I would have liked it more if he had just made "Dr. Sleep" and left Kubrick out of this movie. The BOOK, "Dr. Sleep," was (IMO) one of Steve's happiest endings. I felt completely robbed when Flanagan changed the whole ending to pay homage to Kubrick's version of "The Shining" - which I never liked (although I loved the book and liked the 1997 miniseries).

[@justarandomveryintelligent8934]

@@firstinthedance the problem with just making doctor sleep is that we didn't have an accurate big screen depiction of the shining so it would have thrown a lot of the general audience off because a lot of people only know the kubrick movie

[@freeheeler00]

Rose the Hat is such a great villain. They really set her up with some terrifying sequences involving children that make you want to hate her, but she has such real evil energy that it is hard to turn away from her character.

[@williamrosmer8381]

the only problem i have with her as the villain is she gets outplayed completely through the whole movie in basically every encounter other than snakebite addie and the baseball boy

[@freeheeler00]

True. She does pay for her past sins pretty badly and it's kinda satisfying. @@williamrosmer8381

[@AREA-jp8vb]

She’s one of my favourite characters, she’s so beautifully written in the book and this actress did an amazing job portraying her.

[@thewrongvine]

@@williamrosmer8381Yep. As a villain in concept, she's great. In execution in the film, she's such a weak antagonist and basically does nothing to the protagonists.

[@neil2444]

@@williamrosmer8381 I suppose in a way that's what makes it more terrifying. She's not some comic book villain, she's quite literally just Danny if Danny lacked a moral code and found a way to use the Shining to live forever. She's fallible, but she's still strongly motivated because her survival is at stake.

[@WhatHaveIMade]

I'm glad you guys followed up on The Shining with Doctor Sleep so quickly. I wish more reactors did. Very entertaining, as usual for you two.

[@Diegesis]

i wanted them to see it while the Shining was still fresh in their memory since there's so many references. i dont know if maple woulda recognized the office for instance if they waited a year to see it.

[@RichardStrong86]

In the book Jack Torrence actually has some of Danny's role in this. Jack is the one that overloads the boiler in the original shining book, and in Doctor Sleep his ghost helps them defeat Rose in the ruins of the hotel.

[@benhauge3441]

In the Book Abra IS Dannys Niece. Jack had an affair and the result was Abras Mom Dannys Half Sister.

[@markpekrul4393]

This is such a great film. I think it is one of Ewan McGregor's best performances, and all the performances were wonderful - particularly the girl who played Abra. It perfectly blended the novel(s) and the Kubrick film.

[@davidpalmer7175]

This movie was a proper sequel!

[@andre1999o]

Kudos to Mike Flanagan for reconciling Stephen King with the adaptation of his work he despises the most (or at least, is most known for despising)

[@Etticos.]

You girls should watch the Haunting Of Hill House. It’s top tier and will make you cry your eyes out.

[@dante340]

Making a modern day sequel to a legendary classic is a difficult task that almost never gets executed well.. but this film manages to pull it off excellently. I'm sure the source material helps quite a bit, but either way it's a real shame this movie is not more widely appreciated.

[@billiam8554]

One day a fan asked Stephen King "What ever happened to Danny Torrence from The Shining?" That prompted King to write Dr Sleep and love that Mike Flanagan directed the movie!

[@auntvesuvi3872]

Many more thanks to Arianna & Maple! 😱 I'm so glad y'all did this one so soon after THE SHINING (1980). I always advise reacters to do so, but they rarely do. I love this... it's faithful to the novel, plus it enriches what occurred before. Everything Mr. Flanagan does is excellent. #Diegesis #MikeFlanagan #DoctorSleep

[@sam_._._.]

omg i might be totally nerding here in the comments but i just HAVE to mention one thing, and i think it's worth it since Maple noticed the office being the same as in The Shinning movie. i was blown away by this movie bc i watched after finishing reading the shinning and i was kinda disappointed with the kubrick movie as an adaptation (as a stand alone is a MARVELOUS movie, don't get me wrong!!) bc he kinda took away some fundamental aspects of the story (in my opinion). so the scene when Danny is beating the guy in the bar he says "take your medicine", and it's the same thing Jack tells him in the bar at the Overlook later. and it seems kinda out of context or at least not that impactful enough bc this line doesn't have the same place in Kubrick's movie. but in the book story is actually something JACK'S FATHER said to him when he beat him up, when Jack was a child. and then it's the same thing Jack says to Danny when he's chasing him in the Overlook. and then it's the same thing Danny says when he's fighting/beating ppl. and i think thats one of the major things Flanagan got it right in this movie, not only in this but also in the office scene! in the dr. sleep book it's not the same office but danny contemplates about the fact that his father was once in his position: with his life very much ruined by alcohol and violence and having to negotiate with a man that could give him a change or not, how his future could be defined in that conversation, in that office. and since they don't put characters thoughts on this movie, the production/direction team went ahead and PLACED THEM IN THE SAME FUCKING ROOM to make this connection. i guess this is the key thing Flanagan's work had that Kubrick's didn't, the proper focus on the generational traumas (being violence and alcohol), which is honestly a massive chunk of the book. sure the hotel is a key element too (i would even say a key character!!), but i guess taking away the elements >before the hotel< or Jack's final state takes away why this story is so hunting. the scary part is not just the hotel and the ghosts and the madness, it has a social commentary so big and important about how generational trauma, alcohol and violence can change and, at some point maybe, ruin your entire life and the lives of those around you. the book has so many flashbacks and comments about Jack's life and you can see how he's not simply a bad man. in the book you can feel how huntingly sad it's the way he's losing it bc he does love his wife and he does love his son, and he doesn't wanna hurt them. they have heart warming scenes together in the hotel already, moments of happiness as a family and a period when the three of them think everything will end up fine finally, after this family crisis, but then all of it ends up being taken away from the three of them. the broken arm is actually Jack's hunting for real, in the first third of the book he's constantly thinking about how he lost control and hurt his son. and it's terrifying to see how he's losing and how the signs (to wendy and danny) are basically alcoholism signs in the hotel even without the alcohol consumption. the hotel uses this aspect of his life and the violence as a tool to try and get Danny. (and this is also an interesting thing in this movie because it shows how it wasn't just Jack and the hotel, Jack was actually a way to get to Danny because of his shinning and that's also why Halloran was never comfortable working there!) to finish this whole ass essay, they also show the generational thing in Danny and Abra's dynamic. how the hotel uses him to try to get Abra and then how he becomes, to her, the same thing Halloran was to him: a guiding figure that cares for her and in some ways takes care of how the shinning could at some point endanger her. (sorry for the long ass comment....... KWKDKDK) i loved your reaction!!!

[@WoobiewookieBlogspot]

The outro convo was probably one of the best you ladies have done. Great way to defuse the actual horror of this movie. Great job!

[@borntogazeintonightskies]

Take a drink (everyone except Dan) every time Rose the Hat says, "Well, hi there."

[@montv291]

Honestly, artistically, it's hard to top The Shining, but this is a much better film. And the book is better than all of the movies and other book. I watched and read them all in a couple of weeks last year. My ranking is 1. Dr. Sleep book 2. Dr. Sleep movie 3. The Shining book 4. The Shining movie. And that's saying something, because I LOVE Kubrick's Shining.

[@Khay-77]

This movie is criminally underrated. It's sad we'll never get a chance to see the sequel to this. Mike Flanagan was really hoping to do it, too.

[@gabrflyan6364]

Y’all should react to more Mike Flanagan stuff on here. Haunting Of Hill House is one of the best shows of the past 10 years, and Fall of the House of Usher was really good too. Not to mention his other films!

[@toiletghost4130]

The two of you need to watch the series Midnight Mass. Same writer/director and very much a Stephen King homage. Fantastic show

[@red2977]

Midnight Mass is good. Fall of House of Usher as well same guy.

[@pgec]

I'm glad you watched this. The director was trying to pay tribute to The Shining Movie and also pay tribute to The novel The Shining. That's why you saw some things like the office looking the same.

[@robdilauro4344]

Mike Flanagan is a master of the craft of horror, undisputed. He was able to take Stanley Kubrick's version of The Shining and incorporate it into something that even Stephen King himself appreciated and loved. That is a major feat, and he continues to make the impossible story possible every single time he creates something.

[@brianwashines2645]

The juxtaposition between how Rose the Hat treats the new member of the True Knot cult, by lying to her about the changing process compared to the boy they abducted, how she doesn't lie about what they're going to do to him, says a lot. That's because in the novel the True Knot are depicted as being another species, like vampires of a sort, and this humanoid form is just a veneer. Rose looks much more monstrous and demonic underneath. The film, however, ties thematically to the Kubrick film by instead showing how they're just people who shine but use the ability for malevolent and selfish reasons and this robs them of their humanity over hundreds of years. In the novel, the True Knot refer to mortal humans as "rubes" who are merely lesser beings, or as livestock. I love how this movie not only calls back the first movie and the novel but other King novels as well, especially his Dark Tower series and its use of the rose as a symbol.

[@odorousobject8165]

The glass still on the overlook hotel bar counter is fucking CRAZY. I'd throw the glass against the wall - no way I'm lettin that sit there

[@frmthefuture]

a buddy of mine explained the power levels in this movie: adult danny's shine wasn't as "strong," because of his handicap: placing so much of his power into creating his boxes [that contained ghosts of the overlook]. so much so, that it was a constant draw of his power, for literal decades. so with that context, we can assume that child danny's shine was IMMENSLEY powerful. had danny not sunk so much power into the making and constant [albeit subconscious] upkeep of his boxes, adult danny would've been next level powerful. easily eclipsing everyone, including all of rose's gang AND abra.

[@mckennayoshi]

Maple hating Rose and her stupid hat 😂

[@KirkOrion666]

Probably the best reaction video i ever watched. Great team, girls! 2 shining personalities, smarts,funny! No emotionnal illiteracy here! Verycool.

[@grumble2501]

The Theme of child endangerment in this story is truly disturbing and hard to contemplate but it’s so important to Danny’s character as a survivor of addiction and abuse and trauma. Mike Flanagan is just amazing at talking about the dynamics of this and it’s damned hard for anyone to talk or think about otherwise. You can take all the supernatural aspects away and it’s still a true story from a real place about surviving and rising above. Thank you for watching!

[@fenixmacariuscornett1675]

A lot of people really really had the hots for this Villain cause she was “just so Stylish” and that always makes my blood pressure hot. Like I can’t think about it or I start sweatin’ 🤣🤣

[@wavehellhole]

Hey Rebecca Ferguson is just fine as hell, even whilst torturing baseball boys

[@Bhint320610]

I thought I read that the young kid was so good during the torture scene that Rebecca Ferguson and the other adults had to take a break.

[@ryantrevino1999]

F**K u guys for using Britney Spears. That was a jump scare for me. LOL.

[@RobertMorgan]

Nobody: Maple: I'm traumatized by... florescent lights

[@williamrosmer8381]

In the book Danny and Abra's mom are half siblings because Jack had an affair.

[@bicboyjoy]

Supposedly, the adult actors had quite a hard time keeping it together while filming the scene where they attack the baseball boy because his screams were so visceral that it made them feel awful

[@mostlyknowasmka9729]

Recently finished the book and just watched the movie, fantastic! Took me a while to finish the book but when I first started to read it I had barely reached 2yrs sobriety, this book and film hit me hard. Last Halloween reached 3yrs sobriety 💜🖤 now onto another king book that I'll take forever to start and finish reading😅

[@xgalarion8659]

This movie actually made me respect stephen king. I don't know how he writes so many good stories.

[@TruthHurts2u]

This movie and another 1980's movie about a military father who killed his family both terrified me as a kid. It wasn't the old lady though it was the father's killing the family. My dad would come home drunk and my parents would have violent fights and I thought for sure he was going to kill us all one day.

[@DovahkiinMaster172]

It’s been said that the baseball kid’s acting was so good that it put everyone in a shitty mood for the whole day. Like everyone on set from the actors to the lighting people were genuinely freaked out by his performance. Meanwhile once’s he finished his shoots he held hands with his dad and strolled out of there without a care in the world.

[@cybernautadventurer]

The Shining had me terrified. Doctor Sleep had me in tears.

[@jaym137]

Danny and Abra's mom were actually half-siblings! Jack had an affair which resulted to Abra's mom. So Danny really was Abra's uncle. ❤

[@afroahmed3989]

This movie was so heavy and everyone in it was at the top of their game ,in a perfect world ,this should've been nominated for alot of Oscars

[@Nickydafish]

This movie didn’t get its flowers at the box office but it was one heck of a movie.

[@MrNihilist74]

Nice reaction! Glad you reacted to this great overlooked movie! The Burbs starting Tom Hanks was a funny dark movie that is great for the halloween season!

[@brentfreeland5834]

Danny lloyd, the original Danny from The Shining was the man talking in bleachers at the baseball game.

[@axebeard6085]

Some cool things about the hotel. The hotel that inspired Stephen King to write The Shining was the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. You can get the room King stayed in (Room 217). In October, they have The Shining Ball. I really want to get a 1921-style tuxedo and wear it to the ball. As for the film, the interiors were a set. The exterior was the Timberline Lodge in Oregon.

[@sebastianemond5313]

13:57 - 14:01 Original Danny Torrance, Danny Lloyd, right there.

[@CharlesVanNoland]

Her name is 'Abra', like "abra cadabra" and she got to do a magic trick. Somehow m'lady didn't catch that when we watched this.

[@RamblingRose08]

I'm totally here for Hocus Pocus. Maybe do Death Becomes Her? My Thanksgiving movie is Addams Family Values.

[@Damiana_Dimock]

The book goes more in-depth on Danny’s recovery and there’s a great bit toward the end. Before the film came out I was like, “that part better be in the film!,” because if there’s a part of the book to cut it probably would be that, and yet, it’s better without that bit. Anyway, almost like Mike Flanagan was more respectful of the source material and the writer’s intentions, and appreciated the fact it was a fully-formed and well-fleshed out story. Thing with The Shining is that, despite how fantastic The Shining film adaptation is, Stanley Kubrick made it almost just to see what a Kubrick shot Horror film would look like. Like many mainstream directors at the time, he did not go into Horror with respect for the genre. *BTW, Tim Burton did not direct Nightmare Before Christmas, Henry Selick did. You could check out some of Selick’s films 🙏🏼☺️

[@boxy1375]

The guy at 14:00 is the same guy that performed role of Danny in The Shining. Its cameo :)

[@MeShell138]

Danny Lloyd who played the original Danny Torrence is in this movie! He was one of the Dads at the baseball game ❤️

[@feudist]

Abra...psychically experiences the brutal torture murder of a child by a bunch of vile monsters. Her reaction? Time to hunt. Hard as a coffin nail.

[@bigpictureguys8415]

9:28 “running away from myself.” Typical alcoholic/addict move, it’s called a geographic. Issue is anywhere you go you take you with you.

[@adgato75]

The "True Detective" comparison is very cool, very interesting. Never thought of that

[@SidPhoenix2211]

. 🎩 👁️ 👁️ 👄 - Rose the Hat @ the girl in the opening of the movie

[@KrazyCash]

Absolutely love this movie. It pays respect to the original and also tells its own story, building the world that The Shining belongs in. It is actually pretty faithful to the source material as well! If you ladies are done with horror movies for the year, Thanksgiving isn't too far off (here in the U.S.). Scent of a Woman is a great film (Al Pacino, Chris O'Donnell) that takes place on Turkey Day. I didn't search the channel to see if you've seen it already, forgive me.

[@user-iu1xq1gr1d]

you guys should watch the haunting of hill house or midnight mass ...its the same director who did Doctor Sleep and they are both so so so good.

[@AndySteele-wb2qi]

The death of Baseball Boy haunted me for at least a month back when I watched this last year and definitely a film I don’t have the courage to rewatch

[@hopefulagnostic336]

Reading it was horrid. Only the second book I was ever tempted to stop reading because I was so disturbed. The first was American Psycho, which I threw out the window because I was so repulsed. I went and got it again, but that was my visceral reaction.

[@Nb123022]

This movie is such a metaphor for adrenochrome. it's crazy! Flanagan's attention to detail is amazing when keeping to Kubricks version while also getting Kings approval as well! This is so much better than The Shining for me.

[@oxhine]

Hey, Maple and Arianna! "Doctor Sleep" is a masterful adaptation of the Stephen King novel of the same name. It is also the best cinematic translation of his work since Frank Darabont's "The Mist"! A sequel to one of King's tentpole titles, "The Shining", which itself was adapted into an iconic film by Stanley Kubrick, this elegant, character-driven narrative satisfies fans of both novels and the previous movie alike. The story opens by tracking young Danny Torrance's life from mere months after his traumatizing experience at the haunted Overlook Hotel which claimed his alcoholic father through a lonely, dissolute adulthood as he struggles with the bottle himself. He uses drink to suppress his Shining which is a psionic hodge-podge of ESPer traits such as telepathy, empathy, remote viewing, precognition and communing with the dead. What King does with the sequel is the litmus test for justifying any sequel: he expands the mythology immeasurably from Danny's solitary struggle into a wider world. At a two and a half hour running time which incredibly flies by, director Mike Flanagan, of "Oculus", "The Haunting of Hill House" and "Midnight Mass", takes pains to immerse the viewer into the lives of a psychic trio: damaged psychic Danny, Omega-level psychic tween Abra and predatory psychic Rose the Hat. As played by Ewan McGregor, Danny reeks of despair and quiet desperation finally hitting rock bottom in the moribund embrace of a coke-head single mom. His questionable choices and downward spiral are alleviated by the sole comfort he has left: the admonishing visitations of the only other Shiner he ever knew, Dick Hallorann, an elderly black man who came to his aid at the Overlook. Now dead, Hallorann still communes with his psychic ward even providing him with the tools to confront the damned souls from the hotel who have trailed Danny his entire life drawn as they are to his Shine. His existence is finally re-framed when two things occur: a good Samaritan pulls him out of the gutter putting him on the road to sobriety and he makes contact with the most powerful Shining he has ever experienced! Enter Abra: a precocious girl from an affluent family who makes Danny into a psychic pen pal. Played by young Kyleigh Curran, she is entrancing from first to last and she helps Danny derive some joy from the gift he has always felt was his curse. However, every gift has a dark side and, in Rose the Hat, a centuries-old Irish Gypsy played with seductive relish by Rebecca Ferguson, King presents an aspect of the Shining that is diabolical. Moreover, it represents a choice every Shiner must make about how to employ their abilities. Once the triumvirate are in place, the plot kicks into gear as the three players engage in a cross-country cat-and-mouse game for control ultimately leaving our heroes with no alternative than to confront their enemy in the most perilous place of all: the Overlook. While dutifully faithful to the book up to this point, the ending is radically different and dovetails with Kubrick's vision of "The Shining" as the one most accepted by the general public. King notoriously took issue with the changes made in that adaptation and had to be convinced to allow the necessary changes made to the sequel. Flanagan even added the crucial boiler set piece that should have been in "The Shining" which finally gets its due here perhaps as a way of assuaging the author's defensiveness. Whatever qualms King may or may not have, the result is a thrilling conclusion that not only scrupulously recreates several beloved Kubrickian scenarios but that also enhances the book by bringing the characters full circle! King and Flanagan should be proud because their collaboration has yielded a mature horror film that contains all the trademarks of King's universe: the roiling malevolence lurking beneath placid normalcy, the terrible price good people must pay, the fateful decision to make a stand and the power to Shine brightly against the endless dark.

[@bcbabbles]

FUN FACT: Jacob Tremblay, who played the baseball kid (Bradley), actually scared the older actors during their first take of the torture scene. The director couldn't use the footage because, even though the older characters were supposed to be enjoying the moment, the actors were unnerved by how good Jacob's performance was. Considering how seasoned some of that cast is, that's saying something.

[@Diegesis]

Jacob Tremblay

[@bcbabbles]

@@Diegesis Don't know how I messed that up. Lol

[@red2977]

The ending of this is closer to what the ending of the original the shining novel was. In the book Jack regains control of himself long enough to save his son, so he does have a redemption before he dies. He is an alcoholic in the book as well but in the book its more the spirits at the overlook possessing him than it is just him getting drunk and becoming psycho.

[@rabbitfishtv]

I love this movie. I don’t think of it as a sequel to “The Shining,” in that sequels are usually trying to match the genre and feel, and this is an utterly different movie. A different movie that reimagines the elements of the first film and uses them in very different ways. To a certain extent, “Alien” and “Aliens” is like that, but here, with decades in between the two, the effect is more dramatic. Also, the treatment of Shelley Duvall in the filming of “The Shining” forever makes me think of it in misogynist terms, while “Doctor Sleep” is much more a movie that gives back and heals. Danny could have been dragged to his dad’s side or to his mom’s, and the mom side wins, even allows him compassion for his dad.

[@marcuskhosravi9920]

A man tries. He provides. But is surrounded by mouths that eat and scream and cry and nag. So he asks for one thing, just one thing for him, to warm him up, to take the sting out of those days and the mouths eating and eating and eating everything he makes, everything he has. A family. A wife, a kid. Those mouths eat time. They eat your days on Earth. [pours another drink] Just gobble them up. It's enough to make a man *sick*. And this [offers Dan the glass of whiskey] is the medicine. So tell me, pup, are you gonna take your medicine?

[@greggately5782]

This is an excellent film. Extremely well crafted by Mike Flannigan..this movie should have gotten far more respect on release.

[@MichaelSplatkins]

The antagonist lady is also the mother in The Haunting of Hill House. And the first victim, the little girl, plays one of her daughters in it. And I think the guy who played Jack Torrence's ghost is her chameleonic husband in it, too. Which makes sense since both projects have the same director, Mike Flanagan. You two should absolutely react to The Haunting of Hill House. There is no greater horror series in history IMO. There's even a kind of easter egg hunt for the viewers involving hard to find ghosts. Perfect Halloween binge!

[@awesomness36]

That’s not true. Ferguson isn’t in Haunting of Hill House

[@jimrobinson9979]

I would really like to hear what Chad thinks of this film compared to Kubrick's The Shining. I have never really appreciated The Shining but I thought Doctor Sleep was phenomenal.

[@Diegesis]

Maybe I'll discuss

[@ChiefAWES0ME]

It always amazes all the creatures, and places that are dark and light. So many abilities that are out there we barely tap into. Yet even all of that, humans still scare me the most. Ghosts and demons are all predictable, yet humans.... it's crazy what we are capable of. 😅

[@theshakyproject2971]

Maple would love Nightmare Before Christmas. That would be a really fun reaction, too.

[@Diegesis]

yeah i wanna cover it for christmas

[@offworld_coop]

I would love to see an Abra solo vigilante style movie where she's just usin gen jujutsu on sickos relentlessly lol.

[@Countfoscolikesmice]

an abandoned hotel in CO sounds fantastic

[@dre3k78]

I felt this film was 2 ideas jammed into one movie. Like they didnt really know which direction to take it by the middle of the film. Not a bad movie but certainly not worthy of being a sequel to one of the best horror movies of all time.

[@fredsmith2067]

I've never read or watched The Shining all the way through, but I'm familiar enough with the references. Dr. Sleep was still a terrific movie, and while I'm not really a horror fan, I'll keep watching anything Mike Flanagan does. Haunting of Hill House, Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, Fall of the House of Usher, and Midnight Club are all great too.

[@adgato75]

Danny actually literally IS Abra's uncle. In the book. She just doesn't know it

[@Lue_Jonin]

This is NOT a sequel to Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" . It may be a sequel to Stephen King's "The Shining ", but absolutely and utterly NOT a sequel to Stanley Kubrick's

[@LFAFSTYLE]

IT IS THE SEQUEL TO STANLEY KUBRICK’S IDIOT!

[@awesomness36]

Yes it is. Quit lying dumbass

[@CanalYouTudoTV]

One of the best sequels ever, Flanagan is the the man for horror...cant wait for the dark tower series

[@MeShell138]

Henry Thomas plays Jack Torrence in this..He also played the little boy in ET the extraterrestrial.

[@realBkay]

Chad, show them the Hallmark movie - FIVE MORE MINUTES (2021) - w/Nikki Deloach. By the end they’ll be bawlin’ their eyes out like new-borns. Yes, I watch alot of Hallmark movies this time of year. When they go 24/7 Christmas movies through the end of the year.

[@woeshaling6421]

great that maple and arianna are into both films

[@wavehellhole]

Any chance of the girls watching Enter the Void? It’s a seriously trippy movie, always an interesting reaction movie

[@Diegesis]

Idk if there's a lot to really react to other than "whoah"

[@x-mensangel3567]

Danny’s death always makes me cry

[@19nzinga]

I loved, I mean absolutely loved this movie. I’ve see multiple times.

[@austntexan]

There were some serious lobster claw moments in this one.

[@kpmac1]

The treatment of children in this movie is the thing that disturbed me more than any other. Especially the scene with the baseball boy. Very hard to watch.

[@mormacil]

Yes she should see Nightmare Before Christmas. Perhaps next year?

[@Diegesis]

thinking christmas this year

[@mormacil]

@@Diegesis That's a solid choice, either way I think she'll love it. This too was a really fun reaction, the ladies do horror very entertaining 😄

[@mregobuster]

I read this novel the second it came out and was completely blown away by it. And then a year or 2 later they announced the film adaptation and I was very concerned. I was wondering how they'd tie the book with The Shining Kubrick movie. I had no reason to be though. This movie is absolutely fantastic. My favorite of that year hands down.

[@karturobinewski9069]

This movie is so incredibly well done and ambitious. But that baby gets me every time. I can't do that scene. Too haunting. The woman in the bathtub disturbs me far less, even if she's actively malevolent and the baby isn't.

[@MrHartApart]

first time I saw this I was expecting Shining and therefore watched it wrong; up until the slow cross dissolves started happening and Abra was basically the new Danny. Then of course, the reveal of, THE HOTEL.