Stephen King's Doctor Sleep

Superficial homages aside, few echoes of Kubrick’s peculiar genius can be found anywhere in Doctor Sleep.

As for movie adaptations of King, maybe it's time to heed the immortal words of Steve Hansen: To just pull the chain and move on. But I hope – and know – that someone will soon enough prove me wrong. And that makes me happy too.

For even casual fans of The Shining (book or movie), or quality horror in general, this is absolutely one you won't want to overlook.

In a way that poignantly echoes the plight of young Danny himself, the new movie sometimes brings to mind a child caught between two quarreling parents, and attempting to stage a reconciliation.

Despite some big moments, this seems cumbersome and unnecessary: a dimming of the original.

You could call it fan service, if the service is to teach fans that mimicking Stanley Kubrick's chilly elegance - and even reshooting scenes from the original film with lookalike actors, a crime bordering on sacrilege - doesn't make your take as scary.

Anyone expecting a straightforward Shining sequel will be disappointed. This isn't a gruelling exercise in pure horror. It's odder and more contemplative, but worth checking in.

I found myself lured into a movie that dares to depict evil as something that makes us suck in our breath.

Just when things threaten to slow to a stall, you can count on Ferguson to roar to the occasion to shake you; when she's around, she's the whole show, threatening, cajoling, erotically boiling when prey is at hand.