“It’s Just Like Pictures In A Book, It Isn’t Real.”

Warner Bros. has unlocked the doors to The Overlook Hotel and The Shining’s Danny Torrance is all grown up in the first trailer for Doctor Sleep. A sequel to Stephen King’s classic 1977 novel.

Ewan McGregor stars as Danny, who’s gone down the alcoholic rabbit hole like his Father before him. Things come to a head when his hauntings persist and he stumbles upon another gifted ally who must evade a circus of psychic vampires called The True Knot.

Yeah, you read that right. Circus of psychic vampires. Here’s the trailer:

And here is a very lengthy synopsis:

Doctor Sleep continues the story of Danny Torrance, 40 years after his terrifying stay at the Overlook Hotel in The Shining. Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson and newcomer Kyliegh Curran star in the supernatural thriller, directed by Mike Flanagan, from his own screenplay based upon the novel by Stephen King.

Still irrevocably scarred by the trauma he endured as a child at the Overlook, Dan Torrance has fought to find some semblance of peace. But that peace is shattered when he encounters Abra, a courageous teenager with her own powerful extrasensory gift, known as the “shine.” Instinctively recognizing that Dan shares her power, Abra has sought him out, desperate for his help against the merciless Rose the Hat and her followers, The True Knot, who feed off the shine of innocents in their quest for immortality.

Forming an unlikely alliance, Dan and Abra engage in a brutal life-or-death battle with Rose. Abra’s innocence and fearless embrace of her shine compel Dan to call upon his own powers as never before—at once facing his fears and reawakening the ghosts of the past.”

Director Mike Flanagan has to be one of the best horror directors alive and on top of his game, and he is at the helm. The dude has assembled a top tier cast including Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Bruce Greenwood, and Zahn McClarnon. Flanagan has already confirmed he’s going to change things up a bit with this adaptation.

I love King, and Kubrick’s The Shining is one of my favourite films. But I’m no fan of Doctor Sleep, it’s not one of King’s strongest books and didn’t do much for me when I read it. The Doctor Sleep book is a direct sequel to King’s novel, so I’m wondering how this adaption will look.

Looking forward to seeing this, Doctor Sleep opens November 8, 2019.