Review: ‘The Shining’ sequel ‘Doctor Sleep’ succeeds under the influence of both King and Kubrick

When we first see little Danny Torrance in “Doctor Sleep,” a crafty and curiously moving sequel to “The Shining,” he is riding his tricycle once more through the serpentine corridors of the Overlook Hotel. Adapted from King’s mythology-expanding 2013 novel of the same title, “Doctor Sleep” follows an older, present-day Dan Torrance into a world of bright-minded children and nomadic child killers, all of whom share some version of his psychic gift. Ruthless and seductive, Rose leads a death cult of semi-immortal beings called the True Knot who prey on shining children by inhaling their psychic essence, or “steam.” In a particularly sadistic twist, that steam can only be harvested when the children feel extreme pain, as demonstrated in a mid-movie feeding frenzy that is all the more upsetting for how precisely and discreetly it’s staged. That makes her both the True Knot’s most coveted target and their gravest threat, and one of the chief satisfactions of “Doctor Sleep” is the spectacle of Dan and Abra conspiring to turn the tables in a story that slips playfully in and out of the labyrinth of the subconscious. But the effect can’t help but fundamentally alter the tone and intent of “Doctor Sleep,” briefly transforming a richly disturbing fantasy into an extravagant act of fan service.