‘Doctor Sleep’ Early Buzz: Critics Are Mostly Warm On Mike Flanagan’s Sequel To ‘The Shining’
Nearly 40 years after Stanley Kubrick made us all afraid of hotels in his masterful adaptation of Stephen King’sThe Shining, we’re returning to the Overlook Hotel again.Doctor Sleep, King’s 2013 sequel to his horror classic, has been adapted into a feature film byMike Flanagan(Gerald’s Game), which has the unenviable task of following up Kubrick’s 1980 masterpiece. So, does it live up to the legacy ofThe Shining?
TheDoctor Sleepearly buzz is out for the horror sequel starringEwan McGregoras an older Dan Torrance, following him decades after he and his mother were nearly killed by his father, driven mad by their stay at the isolated Overlook Hotel. Here is what critics have to say aboutDoctor Sleep.
/Film’s Jacob Hall and Chris Evangelista were among those lucky enough to seeDoctor Sleepearly, and they were divided over whether Flanagan was successful in his follow-up to a daunting classic likeThe Shining, and whether the director should have forged his own route or stuck by King’s book.
When I interviewed Flanagan, he made it clear that he knows some of the film’s choices will divide people. And yes, there are elements I struggled with. But when DOCTOR SLEEP works, which is most of the time, it works. It’s a far better depiction of King’s voice than IT.
— Jacob Hall (@JacobSHall)August 26, 2025
#DoctorSleepworks best when it’s sticking to Stephen King’s novel. The moment it starts trying to recreate elements of Kubrick’s SHINING, it stumbles a bit. Still, Flanagan nails the emotional elements (no surprise there). And Rebecca Ferguson owns the entire movie.
— Chris Evangelista (@cevangelista413)June 24, 2025
A few other reactions agreed with Jacob, praisingDoctor Sleepas one of the best Stephen King adaptations yet.
— Haleigh Foutch (@HaleighFoutch)June 19, 2025
Doctor Sleep is the best Stephen King adaption since Shawshank Redemption. Mike Flanagan has perfectly combined nostalgia with tension, mystery, and suspense. The entire cast is superb. There are a number of surprises that will make King fans squeal with delight.#DoctorSleeppic.twitter.com/PhSDm6EZsZ
— Scott Menzel (@ScottDMenzel)June 27, 2025
Doctor Sleep is a deeply affecting film that serves as a tense, and ultimately successful, sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.
It didn’t quite have me in its grips from start to finish, but it will stick with me for quite some time.pic.twitter.com/orYRbjhJWD
— Colin Stevens (@ColinDStevens)July 22, 2025
With#DoctorSleepMovie, Mike Flanagan delivers the best parts of Kubrick and King in one movie.
It made me feel silly for wanting to step back into The Overlook, instead of stepping forward from The Shining with Danny.
Rebecca is an instant icon, and Ewan completely nails it.pic.twitter.com/7Szfq2iRlG
— Andrew Dyce (@andrewbdyce)June 27, 2025
However, a few more came down on the film harshly, criticizing its attempts to recreate the most iconic moments ofThe Shining.
DOCTOR SLEEP is a shallow, soulless, karaoke rendition of THE SHINING: the tone’s flat, the notes falter and the drunk dude singing has been left on for far too long. The final act is a drab evocation of Stanley Kubrick’s magnum opus—with performances out of a porn parody. Nah.https://t.co/U7uvKA2YU2
— Jack (@jackarking)June 10, 2025
But divided some may have been on whether the film worked, the reactions were unanimous in praisingRebecca Ferguson, who plays the villain of the film.
Doctor Sleep will likely give The Shining fans everything they’d want from a sequel (and some things they probably didn’t).#RebeccaFergusonis wonderful and it all looks utterly gorgeous, but it’s not perfect and needs more memorable scares.#DoctorSleepMoviepic.twitter.com/M2jomtq8eE
— Digital Spy (@digitalspy)August 25, 2025
Critics and fans seem divided onDoctor Sleep, which some are praising as one of the best Stephen King adaptations yet, and others criticizing it as a poor recreation ofThe Shining. While the performances by Ferguson and newcomer Curran are being praised, many of the other elements received mixed reactions.
Doctor SleepstarsEwan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran, Carl Lumbly, Zahn McClarnon, Emily Alyn Lind, Bruce Greenwood, Jocelin Donahue, Alex Essoe,andCliff Curtis.Doctor SleepopensNovember 8, 2019.
Forming an unlikely alliance, Dan and Abra engage in a brutal life-or-death battle with Rose. Abra’s innocence and fearless embrace of her shine compel Dan to call upon his own powers as never before—at once facing his fears and reawakening the ghosts of the past.
