The Shining vs Doctor Sleep: Face-Off

It’s scary movie season! Well, for some diehard horror fans that’s EVERY season, but one thing that horror film buffs and the casual movie-going crowd can agree on is that The Shining is arguably the best horror movie of all time. We’ve seen it so many times it’s basically a comfort movie at this point. Based on the novel by prolific author Stephen King and adapted by the legendary Stanley Kubrick, the film stars the incredible Jack Nicholson delivering some of the most disturbing and intense acting ever put to celluloid! What more can we say about The Shining that hasn’t already been said?

Fast forward nearly 40 years later to 2019, Mike Flanagan’s Doctor Sleep hit theaters but underperformed at the box office. The long-awaited sequel to The Shining based on the 2013 novel of the same name stars Obi-Wan Kenobi himself, Ewan McGregor, playing an adult Danny Torrance. The follow-up focuses on Danny dealing with the aftermath of the first movie’s events while protecting teenage girl Abra, who possesses the same power to shine, from the evil monsters of the True Knot led by Rose The Hat. In this modern age of legacy sequels, Doctor Sleep fared very well critically and currently has a fresh rating over on those Tomatoes That Are Rotten, but which of these Stephen King adaptations shines the brightest?

That’s right! Grab your axe and pour yourself a glass of Red Rum because it’s time to shine… FACE OFF!

This episode of Face-Off is written by Jay Saint G, narrated by Shawn Knippelberg, and edited by Jay Saint G. But don’t let us have the final word — tell us in the comments which Stephen King flick is your pick! The Shining or Doctor Sleep?

About the Author

Chris Bumbray began his career with JoBlo as the resident film critic (and James Bond expert) way back in 2007, and he has stuck around ever since, being named editor-in-chief in 2021. A voting member of the CCA and a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, you can also catch Chris discussing pop culture regularly on CTV News Channel.