The final trailer for the Mike Flanagan (‘Hush’) directed “Doctor Sleep” has hit the web in the lead up to its 31st October UK release, and November 8th US bow.
The film, a direct sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Shining,” follows Ewan McGregor as an older Danny Torrence, as he ventures back through his past and inner demons in order to protect a young girl (Kyliegh Curran) from a cult who prey on those with similar abilities to him.
This new trailer marks the first since we learned the film will carry an R-rating upon its Halloween release, and Warner Bros have certainly opted to showcase more of the film’s horror elements, giving audiences a taste of what they can expect. This over two-and-a-half-minute taster also gave us a first look at Rebecca Ferguson as ‘Rose the Hat’, leader of The True Knot, the cult who hunt and kill those with the ‘shining’ gift, in order to extract their power and add to their own immortality. Ferguson looks creepy and menacing in the snippets here, whilst the trailer also spends time cutting to and from Danny (McGregor) and his encounters or re-encounters with the supernatural, including what looks like the inevitable return of Hollywood’s scariest twins.
This film has flown mostly under the radar, even as its release date hurtles into view. But if “IT: Chapter Two” can whet appetites for horror, and with the original still having a core cult fanbase attached to it, plus its Halloween release, it’s possible this film could make a half-decent showing at the box office.
However, the jury remains out on what has been seen so far, as the decision to include so many frightening elements in the trailer lends to the notion of Warner Bros not having great faith in the film’s story. We shall see.
“Doctor Sleep’ opens in the US November 8th and in Europe on Halloween.
Paul Greengrass’ "The Uprising," starring Andrew Garfield, opened to $3.2M from 2,068 theaters this weekend. Yikes. The budget hasn’t been disclosed, but is said to be in the $20-$30M range.