We saw an early screening of Doctor Sleep, and I was treated to what I believe to be the best horror blockbuster of the year. This is the movie that Brightburn told us it would be. A compelling superhero story with a horror twist. On top of all that high praise, I truly believe that this is a worthy spiritual successor to The Shining, which is one of my all-time favorite movies ever. Doctor Sleep is impressive, serious, and fun. Doctor Sleep can be found in theaters tomorrow evening and this weekend, and I highly suggest you see it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2msJTFvhkU4 Doctor Sleep Synopsis Doctor Sleep isn’t so much a sequel to The Shining as it is a continuation of the story of Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor then Danny Lloyd), from The Shining. It loops in lots of other interesting characters who also shine and does a better job of defining what “the shining” is than Kubrick’s film did. Danny boy by Dustin Goebel whose Instagram you should follow @Dgoebel00 It follows Danny through some of his childhood immediately following the death of his deranged father, Jack, and it picks up the timeline in 2011 and again in 2019. This movie uses a parallel plot structure to introduce us to the important players in the story, which weaves together into one cohesive tale that had me fully bought in.  Danny grows up, beats his demons, and settles down into a job where he excels, and then his life gets flipped - turned upside down by a little girl who shines. He eventually takes her under his wing the same way Hallorann took Danny under his. Doctor Sleep Review There is a definite “bad guy” in this movie, which I won’t go into until the spoilers section. From what I can tell, the critical response to Doctor Sleep the book was favorable with exception to the bad guy. I can see how it might not translate well on paper but, the baddie in the movie was fabulous and iconic to me. The sound design was impressive as hell to me. It kept me in the moment and feeling tension the whole way through.  Want to Watch The Shining?Check it out on AmazonClick here to Watch The Shining The visuals were well thought out, slow and meticulous. This movie had some very cool panning shots, which I mentioned in our last episode which covered, The Lighthouse. Heeeere's Danny! The characters and storyline were top tier, and the casting was maybe the best I’ve ever seen. They re-enacted scenes from The Shining to a truly impressive degree. The set design was incredible. Of all the things I was impressed with about Doctor Sleep I think the most telling one is that I don’t feel any resentment at all about it being the sequel to one of the most iconic horror movies of all time. The artistry behind this movie was impressive, and Mike Flanagan clearly held Kubrick’s work in a sacred place.  Want to Watch Doctor Sleep?Check it out on AmazonClick here to Watch Doctor Sleep I love Doctor Sleep because I love great stories. It’s a fabulous story, full of wonder and terror. I love the way Flanagan chose to adapt this story for the big screen. Doctor Sleep Score 10/10 Spoilers for Doctor Sleep Click Here to Expand Spoilers I don’t want to go too far into detail in the spoilers section for Doctor Sleep because I don’t want to do a disservice to the craft of film making that this movie features. Instead I’ll break it down into what I liked and didn’t like about the movie. Be forewarned, this is still spoilers! The Callbacks to The Shining There were so many visual callbacks to The Shining hidden in plain sight in Doctor Sleep that I couldn’t keep them all straight. The movie starts with a flying shot similar to the iconic opening shot of The Shining and it also recreates that same opening shot as they approach the Overlook Hotel at the end of Doctor Sleep. Redrum, so popular these days... Dr. John Dalton, the man who employed Danny when he got sober,