The article argues that Mike Flanagan’s two-film Shining franchise, particularly Doctor Sleep, handled Stephen King’s material more successfully than Andy Muschietti’s IT films. It says Doctor Sleep balanced King’s original novel with Stanley Kubrick’s film, creating a sequel that addressed both versions’ legacies, whereas IT: Chapter Two struggled to match the impact and chemistry of IT: Chapter One.

Doctor Sleep follows the adult Dan Torrance, played by Ewan McGregor, as he confronts alcoholism, the psychic True Knot and the Overlook Hotel alongside Abra Stone. Flanagan incorporated Kubrick’s imagery and music while also restoring King’s book-ending, in which the hotel is destroyed by fire, demonstrating how selective changes can serve both established fans and newcomers.