Stephen King's sequel to The Shining is a kick ass story, but it's not scary. In the afterword King is baffled as to why Stanley Kubrick's film version of his novel is so universally considered one of the most terrifying films of all time. So why did King pen a sequel that fails to scare us? There have been five adaptations of King's work that are even worth viewing and the only remotely scary film is Carrie. Kubrick's film is more of comedic take on horror films, which is likely why King show's such disdain for the film. Light's being placed where ghosts appear, arrows pointed towards the sky suggesting aliens, chairs misplaced in what may or may not be continuity errors, televisions working without electricity, these are all clear clues that Kubrick is poking fun at the work of a really talented writer. I enjoyed Doctor Sleep immensely, but for King to state this is a follow up to the book and not the film is just plain silly. Images from the film are so aggressively engraved into so many people's minds it's impossible not to compare the bucked tooth Wendy Torrance with the villainous Rose the Hat, or the irony of Jack mocking Wendy for wanting to take Danny to a Doctor. In the end Doctor Sleep is like a great big Cadillac with no scares inside. It really should be pushed as a fantasy novel instead of horror.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Doctor Sleep
Stephen King's sequel to The Shining is a kick ass story, but it's not scary. In the afterword King is baffled as to why Stanley Kubrick's film version of his novel is so universally considered one of the most terrifying films of all time. So why did King pen a sequel that fails to scare us? There have been five adaptations of King's work that are even worth viewing and the only remotely scary film is Carrie. Kubrick's film is more of comedic take on horror films, which is likely why King show's such disdain for the film. Light's being placed where ghosts appear, arrows pointed towards the sky suggesting aliens, chairs misplaced in what may or may not be continuity errors, televisions working without electricity, these are all clear clues that Kubrick is poking fun at the work of a really talented writer. I enjoyed Doctor Sleep immensely, but for King to state this is a follow up to the book and not the film is just plain silly. Images from the film are so aggressively engraved into so many people's minds it's impossible not to compare the bucked tooth Wendy Torrance with the villainous Rose the Hat, or the irony of Jack mocking Wendy for wanting to take Danny to a Doctor. In the end Doctor Sleep is like a great big Cadillac with no scares inside. It really should be pushed as a fantasy novel instead of horror.
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