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Between 'Doctor Sleep' And 'It: Chapter Two' You Can Thank Stephen King For Your Nightmares This Fall

'Shining' sequel 'Doctor Sleep' drops unsettling first trailer

By Lauren Rearick

If the sight of intricately patterned carpet and massive wooden red doors still causes goosebumps on your arms, you’ll be delighted, or terrified, to know that you’ll soon be able to return to the world of The Shining. On Thursday (June 13), Warner Bros. Pictures released the trailer for Doctor Sleep, the sequel to Stephen King’s original ‘70s novel turned film.

Doctor Sleep doesn’t arrive in theaters until November 8, 2019, but the first look at the movie provides enough terrifying imagery to warrant the use of a nightlight during viewing. The new chapter in King’s scary saga picks up 40 years after The Shining ended, and we’re introduced to an adult Danny Torrance, portrayed by Ewan McGregor. Directed by Mike Flanagan (Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House), this looks truly unsettling:

For those unfamiliar with The Shining, Danny made an appearance as a young child in the original 1980 film, which centered on the story of his father, Jack Torrance, played by Jack Nicholson. Back then, the only thing scarier than Danny’s dramatic childhood haircut was his penchant for shouting murder backwards in mirrors.

Based on the dramatic nightmare that awakens Dan at the start of the trailer, it’s obvious that the events of his childhood didn’t exactly leave him unscathed. And apparently, his trouble is only just beginning.

During the trailer, we’re introduced to Abra Stone (Kyliegh Curran), a mysterious teenager that somehow finds her way to Dan. Seated next to each other on a park bench, Dan refutes the girl’s claims that the two share a similar kind of magic, instead explaining, “I’ve only met two or three people like us. They died...I don’t know about magic, I’ve always called it The Shining.”

After the trailer flashes away from the pair, creepy images inspired by the original film are interspersed with modern-day happenings. The quick glimpses of past and present all lead to one major cliffhanger, as Dan notices "Redrum" written on a white door. Just as he sticks through his head through a broken opening, much as his father did in The Shining, the trailer ends, and the film’s once familiar horn melody rises up.

An official synopsis details a bit more about the movie, noting that Dan and Abra will team up for a life-or-death battle against “Rose the Hat and her followers, The True Knot, who feed off the shine of innocents in their quest for immortality.” Yep, we’re scared, too.

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