Mike Flanagan’s Doctor Sleep Cut Quietly Fixed a Decades-Old Stanley Kubrick Problem

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Mike Flanagan consistently blends horror with emotional depth, making him a natural fit for Stephen King’s work. The two finally teamed up, with Flanagan directing adaptations of King’s stories like Gerald’s Game and The Life of Chuck. Many consider his best work to be a particularly strong, though often overlooked, adaptation of…

Stephen King’s novel continued the story from The Shining, set many years after the terrifying events at the Overlook Hotel. The book follows Danny Torrance as an adult, now battling addiction and the lingering effects of his childhood trauma. While Mike Flanagan’s film adaptation didn’t gain immediate recognition, it proved to be a welcome addition to the world of Stephen King, expanding on the story of the original, and initially divisive, film The Shining.

Stephen King Famously Rejected Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining

Stephen King began his career in film fairly early on. While Carrie was his first published novel, told from different viewpoints and dealing with a tragic story, it was The Shining that truly made him famous.

Stanley Kubrick’s famous film follows a man who takes a winter caretaker job at a remote hotel. As the off-season progresses, he and his family encounter increasingly unsettling and supernatural events, leading to a descent into madness.

Ultimately, the hotel’s influence consumed Jack Torrance, which was the central theme of Stephen King’s novel. However, Stanley Kubrick’s film wasn’t a direct translation of the book. King himself expressed dissatisfaction with the film, noting its departures from the original story in an interview with Deadline.

Stephen King feels the film adaptation of ‘The Shining’ failed to develop Jack Torrance as a character. He points out that Jack Nicholson’s character is presented as unstable from the very beginning, during his meeting with the hotel manager, and simply becomes more unhinged throughout the movie. King contrasts this with his book, where Jack is a man battling his inner demons before ultimately succumbing to madness – a tragic journey. He believes the film lacks this tragedy because Jack doesn’t undergo any significant change or character development.

Jack Torrance, the main character in The Shining, mirrored Stephen King’s personal struggles with alcoholism. King imagined the story as a depiction of what could happen if he hadn’t overcome his own addiction. In the book, the Overlook Hotel ultimately explodes because Jack neglects his duty to maintain the boiler. Jack’s son, Danny, and wife, Wendy, manage to escape unharmed, and Wendy helps Danny understand and develop his psychic abilities – a fate that differs from the ending of the movie adaptation. They go on to live happy lives.

In the movie adaptation of Stephen King’s story, Dick’s death was violent, but Jack ultimately froze to death in the snow maze instead of being consumed by fire. Although these changes might seem minor, the way Jack’s character was portrayed sparked discussion. King himself had always written Jack as someone not entirely mentally stable, which the film reflected.

He failed as both a father to Danny and a husband to Wendy. This differed from the novel, which showed Jack desiring a strong family connection. The terrifying events at the hotel can be seen as a representation of Stephen King’s personal battles with addiction.

Jack Nicholson’s performance in the film was memorable, but lacked subtlety. While he was perfectly cast to portray madness, the story really needed to show a slow descent into insanity, as Stephen King intended. It’s crucial for Jack to be likable on some level, otherwise his breakdown at the hotel isn’t impactful.

Kubrick included a puzzling final shot of Jack appearing in an old hotel photograph from the 1920s, suggesting he’d been at the hotel all along. While meant to be eerie, this moment didn’t quite fit the story and only made Jack’s character seem like a mysterious, unexplained force, further complicating the plot.

Doctor Sleep Was the Perfect Reconciliation of Two Mediums

Adapting Doctor Sleep presented a unique challenge because The Shining is such a landmark horror film. Despite Stephen King’s mixed feelings about the original movie, The Shining remains a cinematic classic and one of his most famous adaptations.

Mike Flanagan made sure to include visual references to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining because it would have been confusing for viewers if he hadn’t. The final scenes, where Dan and Abra return to the Overlook Hotel, clearly echo Kubrick’s style, and Flanagan specifically used designs from that film, like the iconic carpet and the red bathroom featured in the Director’s Cut.

Flanagan cleverly linked the sequel’s characters to those in the original film. For example, Henry Thomas appeared as a vision of Jack Nicholson’s character, representing a memory the Overlook Hotel conjured for Dan. While at the bar, Dan saw what he remembered of his father, a direct nod to the film The Shining.

Dan’s mother, Wendy, was portrayed differently than in the original novel, a deliberate choice by director Flanagan. He skillfully blended elements from the film adaptation with King’s book. When Dan and Abra arrived at the hotel, Flanagan maintained the snowy setting but also provided the Overlook Hotel with a satisfying conclusion. Similar to a scene in the book, Dan ventured into the Boiler Room and attempted to cause an explosion by overloading the system. Ultimately, Doctor Sleep delivered the ending that The Shining film always seemed to be building towards, resolving issues King had with the film after four decades.

Stephen King’s Characters Were Vindicated In the End

Stephen King initially felt Jack Torrance lacked a meaningful character development. However, in the sequel, Doctor Sleep, he focused on giving his characters more fulfilling conclusions. Dan Torrance, for example, goes through a journey of redemption. The film shows him at his lowest point early on, as he abandons a child and leaves town.

Alcoholism led Dan down the same destructive path as his father, but unlike his father, Dan managed to get sober. The film shows his journey toward making amends for his past, culminating in a selfless act his father would have been incapable of. While The Shining was a story of downfall, Doctor Sleep is a story of courage and overcoming adversity.

As Dan died, he intentionally caused an explosion by tampering with the boiler. The resulting fire engulfed the Overlook Hotel, and in his final moments, he was reunited with his mother. Wendy had passed away from cancer years before, but in death, Dan found her again, and both of them appeared as their young, healthy selves, finally finding peace and happiness.

Dan finally found peace after being reunited with his mother, resolving his regret over not being able to see her before she passed away. Other characters also received satisfying conclusions to their stories. While Dick lived through the book’s events, the movie version showed his death.

Dick, like others at the Overlook Hotel, suffered after the shocking incident with the flood of blood. However, unlike in the movie, Dick lived in the book and left with the rest of the Torrance family, which is why he continued to appear as a character.

Flanagan continued to include scenes featuring Dick, drawing inspiration from the original story’s details. Because Danny possessed the ‘Shining,’ he could connect with spirits. While these scenes mirrored events from the book where Danny interacted with Dick, the film portrayed him simply talking to Dick’s ghost.

The character development in this version was stronger than in Kubrick’s The Shining, proving how well Flanagan understood Stephen King’s original story. His Director’s Cut really highlighted the source material, and he did this by structuring the film like a book, using title cards to divide it into chapters. This made it feel like King and Flanagan were collaborating on the film together.

Several longer scenes really emphasized how much Dan’s character changed throughout the story. For example, Dan confessed that he was unable to face his mother when she died, and she couldn’t meet his gaze after what happened at the Overlook. Wendy was similarly haunted by her husband’s actions, making it difficult for her to even look at her own son.

The story beautifully came full circle with a final, meaningful connection between the characters. Throughout his work, from The Haunting of Hill House to Midnight Mass, Mike Flanagan consistently excels at crafting deeply moving character journeys. He was the ideal choice to adapt Doctor Sleep, delivering a faithful adaptation that truly honored Stephen King’s vision.

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2025-11-19 03:08