Mike Flanagan has revealed a hidden reference to The Shining in his adaptation of Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep. Doctor Sleep hit theaters in late 2019, where it unfortunately became a box office flop, only grossing $31 million domestically against an estimated budget of $45 million. However, despite the adaptation’s differences from the source material, the film was met with a warm reception from critics and audiences alike, scoring a 77 percent critical and 89 percent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Following the film’s theatrical run, Flanagan also released a director’s cut of Doctor Sleep, which adds 20-plus minutes of new footage.
Doctor Sleep takes place years after the events of King’s The Shining, where a now-adult Dan Torrance must protect a young girl who possesses similar powers to his own from a cult known as The True Knot, who hunt and prey on children with such abilities in order to remain immortal. The adaptation starred Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran, Cliff Curtis, Zahn McClarnon, and Selena Anduze. Flanagan, who previously helmed an adaptation of Gerald’s Game, another King novel, paid homage to The Shining in a myriad of ways, even recreating The Overlook Hotel for the film. Now, Flanagan has revealed one of the hidden references to Kubrick’s film that many viewers may have easily missed.
After an observant fan noticed a familiar sound that is in the adaptation, director Mike Flanagan confirmed they weren’t imagining anything when he tweeted a reply to their theory. The fan noticed that when Dan is driving a car in the middle of the film, the sound it makes when driving over the surface reminded them of Dan’s tricycle from the The Shining. Flanagan responded by saying, “You’re not imagining it – we mixed the tricycle sound into the car shot. Couldn’t resist.” The full tweet is below.
Flanagan has proven to be an avid fan of King’s novels, not only by directing two adaptations of his work, but also by sneaking hidden references to his other stories in Doctor Sleep. In fact, this new revelation about the film isn’t the only hidden reference to The Shining the adaptation contains. Since the release of the film, Flanagan has been open about Doctor Sleep, revealing new tidbits of information that hadn’t been uncovered yet. For example, he recently revealed that King told him to trim down the film’s most brutal scene.
Doctor Sleep was an extremely effective adaptation of King’s novel and a terrific follow-up to Kubrick’s The Shining. Flanagan had the unenviable task of following in Kubrick’s footsteps, but managed to not only pay loving homage to his classic film, but craft a sequel that fully showcases his skills behind the camera, particularly in the horror genre. This hidden reference to The Shining is not only a great pleasant surprise, but further demonstrates Flanagan’s fondness for Kubrick’s film. Flanagan’s talents are ideally suited for King’s stories, and its wonderful to hear he’ll be helming an adaptation of King’s Revival. Hopefully, this new piece of information will persuade viewers to revisit Doctor Sleep and notice all of its wonderful hidden references to The Shining.
