Doctor Sleep (2019)

It's difficult to make a homage to a masterpiece but this one has styles in spades.

Presentation:

I love the dark visuals of this piece. Arri large format films are such a pleasure to watch and the characters and effects are gleefully malicious. The 3 hour directors cut might not be Kubrickian, but is a great film on its own with tasteful nods and easter eggs to Stephen King's original The Shining.

Story:

The film continues the story of Ewan McGregor as 40 year old Danny after the events of The Shining. Danny has substance abuse and still communicates with the dead with very interesting mechanisms. This enhances the world building, which introduces the wonderfully sinister Rebecca Ferguson as the ruthless cult leader. It's a battle between good versus evil and has enough chops to stand alone regardless of the original. The material is rich and characters are so charismatic and just a joy to watch. The ending rewards you with a satisfying chapter to one of King's best work.

Conclusion:

This stands alone as one of the more stylish horror thrillers with unbeatable material. A personal favorite for CleverGhost.


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Hereditary (2018)

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Bones and All (2022)