Doctor Sleep | The Impossible Shining Sequel

About this episode

The episode discusses the challenges of adapting 'Doctor Sleep' as a sequel to 'The Shining' and its reception.

Episode three of our Stephen King mini-season! Doctor Sleep is an ambitious sequel that tries to thread an impossible needle: honoring Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining while faithfully adapting Stephen King’s very different novel. Director Mike Flanagan delivers moments of genuine emotional power and some solid horror, but the film was largely ignored upon release in 2019. Why wasn't it better? ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetter Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/wwibpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wwib_official X: https://x.com/WWIBpodcast Subscribe! Rate! Review! Tell a friend!

Topics covered

• Stephen King
• film review
• horror
• sequel
• adaptation

Keywords

• Doctor Sleep
• The Shining
• Stephen King
• Mike Flanagan
• horror film
• film review
• sequel

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Doctor Sleep, The Shining

More episodes of Why Wasn't It Better?

• Fantastic Voyage (1966) | A Sci-Fi Classic We Forgot · June 10, 2026 · 1h 26m
• Airport 1975 | The First Disaster Sequel · June 3, 2026 · 1h 29m
• Pokémon the Movie 2000 | Bigger Stakes, Smaller Impact · May 27, 2026 · 1h 8m
• F1: The Movie | Spectacle Over Story · May 25, 2026 · 1h 9m
• Moonwalker | Michael Jackson's Ego Trip · May 20, 2026 · 1h 16m
• The World Is Not Enough | Pierce Brosnan's Third Outing · May 13, 2026 · 1h 35m