Doctor Sleep (2019)

Horror Obsessive Radio

On this episode of The Horror Obsessive Podcast, JP and Sean Parker do something they've only done once before–discuss a sequel. Back in March, they talked about the 2022 Scream requel, but in all our other episodes, we’ve focused exclusively on original films. And there’s probably a good reason for that. Horror sequels are notoriously bad, so it makes perfect sense that we would mostly pass them over. But there are a few worthwhile needles in this seemingly endless haystack of mediocrity, and on this episode of the podcast, we discuss one of the best: Mike Flanagan’s 2019 gem Doctor Sleep.

Doctor Sleep is an adaptation of Stephen King’s fantastic novel of the same name, which is a sequel to King's classic The Shining. Taking place decades after the Kubrick movie, it shows us what Dan Torrance’s life has become in the wake of the trauma he experienced in the Overlook Hotel. Just like his father, he too struggles with alcoholism, but he eventually manages to overcome that addiction. He even finds a way to use his psychic abilities to help others, but when he meets a young girl named Abra, he has to redirect those powers to help her fend off a group of despicable child murderers called the True Knot.

Doctor Sleep is an outstanding film that, though recent, still doesn’t quite get the recognition it deserves. Sean and JP talk about all the reasons we love it, like the ingenious way it bridges the gap between the two versions of The Shining, the movie’s beautiful message about redemption, and the perennially relevant theme of being unafraid to let your true self shine.

The discussion kicks off with the best news to hit the horror world in the last two weeks, including the recent release of A Haunting in Venice, the amazing films I saw at Fantastic Fest, and the upcoming The Boys spinoff, Gen V. And as always, if you enjoyed listening to us talk about Doctor Sleep, join us again in two weeks for the next episode of The Horror Obsessive Podcast, when we’ll be joined by Michelle Iannantuono, director of Livescreamers, along with some of the film’s cast to discuss the 1985 comedy mystery Clue and the upcoming video game horror film.

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