'Terrifying' sequel to The Shining starring Ewan McGregor is coming to Netflix this week

A "terrifying" movie that serves as the sequel to the renowned 1980 horror film The Shining, is coming to Netflix this week. Doctor Sleep, released in 2019, is based on the 2013 Stephen King novel and follows the life of Danny Torrance, the son in the original film. Now grown up, Danny, played by Ewan McGregor, struggles with psychic abilities and a drinking problem as well as the effects of the traumatic events that happened at the Overlook Hotel.

Alongside McGregor are Rebecca Ferguson, Kyleigh Curran and Cliff Curtis. To play the role of a grown-up Danny, McGregor said he watched The Shining "inside out", telling Screen Rant: "It was really interesting to watch a movie that you know fresh, because you're taking that story forward and playing one character from that movie."

The audience follows as Danny works as a hospice orderly, using the shining to comfort dying patients, which is how he gets his nickname of Doctor Sleep. He meets a young girl, whose shine is stronger than his, and the two form a psychic friendship.

Stephen King himself said he wrote the sequel as he wanted to "revisit Danny and see what he was like as a grown-up". He told NPRthat he also wanted to investigate "this whole idea about: Can we rise above our parents? Can we rise above the mistakes that our parents made, or the character flaws that our parents had?"

The film has garnered an impressive 7.3 out of 10 stars, from 237,000 ratings on IMDb. One reviewer wrote: "I was so excited to see this movie. I loved The Shining and hoped this movie would live up to the experience the first movie set. It did, it was just scary enough and got me with a few jump scares."

Another praised the "perfect" acting, script, and cinematography, adding: "I can't say enough good about this movie and how happy I was after watching. This is a new classic and it was everything I wanted Doctor Sleep to be. It's the type of movie that made you feel like a kid when you were watching!"

A third viewer said the movie was "hauntingly beautiful and beautifully haunting", and explained that it is "dark, brutal, violent and terrifying without the use of lazy jumpscares". They continued: "Ewan Mcgregor is a perfect Danny Torrance and Rebecca Ferguson is an awesome villain. She's ruthless. The story is perfect. Watch this movie!"

Someone else posted: "When the final credits rolled on this movie I let out a huge sigh that I didn't realise I was holding in. Contentment is the only word I can find. A superb movie that added to the mystique of The Shining even allowing for the obvious fact that new actors had to take the part of characters from the original."