Netflix Just Added One of the Best Stephen King Adaptations Ever Made
Mike Flanagan is the Frank Darabont of our generation. No other filmmaker is as astutely aware of what makes Stephen King’s writing work quite so well, and it accounts for why Flanagan’s many adaptations regularly rank among the strongest of King’s text-to-screen transitions. Gerald’s Game was widely considered unfilmable, and what Flanagan accomplished there is nothing short of a miracle. In the near future, we have Flanagan’s take on Carrie to look forward to, though for now, his best King adaptation has recently been added to Netflix’s library. Of course, I’m talking about Doctor Sleep.
I say “of course,” though I recognize Doctor Sleep doesn’t work for everyone. Flanagan had the unenviable task of adapting one of King’s more recent works—and a long-gestating sequel to a classic at that—while simultaneously reconciling with the profound filmic legacy of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, an adaptation that famously diverged from the source material. So, Flanagan had to adapt both Doctor Sleep, a sequel to the novel, and Doctor Sleep, a canonical sequel to Kubrick’s The Shining.
One of the Best Stephen King Adaptations
King aficionados, don’t come for me (please), but I think it was the right call, largely because I prefer Kubrick’s take on The Shining more than King’s. So, Doctor Sleep, following the ending to the film, not the novel, worked really well for me, especially when paired with the expanded lore King introduced in his sequel. Rebecca Ferguson (phenomenal, really) leads the True Knot, an ancient group of vampires. An adult (and traumatized) Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor) endeavors to overcome his own grief while simultaneously protecting a young Abra (Kyliegh Curran), the True Knot’s latest target.
In our review from 2019, we wrote, “Doctor Sleep is an interesting film. It’s not quite a sequel; not quite a stand-alone, and certainly not a reboot. Regardless of what you call it, it is an excellent film, one of the best in the Stephen King oeuvre.” Stephen King himself is a fan, and Quentin Tarantino even dubbed it one of the best movies of 2019. If it’s been a while, I encourage you to revisit it. Unfortunately, Netflix is only streaming the theatrical cut, so you’ll have to go physical if you’re interested in seeing the (much better) director’s cut with an additional 28 minutes of footage.
What do you think? Is Doctor Sleep a classic? Was the approach the right move? Which of Flanagan’s Stephen King adaptations is your favorite? Let me know over on Twitter and Instagram.
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