Dr. Sleep

“Dr. Sleep” is a sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s classic “The Shining;” both of which are based on novels by Stephen King.  The tricycle riding boy from the first movie, Dan Torrance, is now a 40-something alcoholic ( played by Ewan McGregor) who wanders from place to place until finally settling down in a small New Hampshire town.  Here he joins AA, becomes sober, and gets his first steady job in years working in a hospice facility.  He gets the nickname ‘Dr. Sleep’ because of his uncanny ability (along with his cat partner) to sense when someone is going to die, and be there to offer comfort.  Now that he is not drinking, his extraordinary abilities, which he calls “shining,” emerge.  He finds he is able to communicate with a young girl  named Abra (played by the excellent Kyleigh Curran) who has even more of the shine than he does.  Together, they uncover an evil cult of semi-immortals who stay alive by killing “shiners” and ‘drinking’ their dying breath.  They mainly prey on kids and they kill one in a rather brutal way.  Dan and his friend from AA, Billy along with Abra, confront the cult, and their defense forces Rose, the cult leader, to pursue them for revenge. The characters end up back at the original hotel for a haunting showdown.  I liked this movie.  Since I had not read the book, I didn’t know what to expect.  The cultists, called the True Knot, were chilling -especially Rose the Hat as played by a pretty creepy Rebecca Ferguson.  It was not too bloody, but it was suspenseful.  I did think the beginning was slow, so that might be the best time to run to the bathroom.  Apparently Stephen King was not a fan of “The Shining” movie, but gave this one his seal of approval.  If it is good enough for Stephen King, it is good enough for me.