credit: The Shining
Does anyone know the problem with listening to the critics too often? Too many people become dependent upon the words of others to determine if they like something or not, and in the process, they forget what they actually like about a movie, a TV show, or anything in particular. For instance, Stephen King didn’t enjoy Stanley Kubrick’s version of his book, The Shining, when it was turned into a movie. It’s true, things were changed, things were altered, but at the same, this movie has been a horror legend for quite some time, and with minimal scares compared to many other horror movies that came after it. But now, with Doctor Sleep having been out for a while, people have done what’s come naturally; they’ve started looking for the next big thing, or the next link in the chain so to speak. Considering that Danny Torrance died in Doctor Sleep and the Overlook burned down, it’s fair to think that Abra might be a new link to explore, but a lot of people want to know more about the Overlook in its heyday as well.
credit: The Shining
Unfortunately, after Doctor Sleep, a lot of people are wondering if The Overlook would make a good series or movie.
This is one of the mistakes that is commonly made when trying to expand on an idea, and it’s not the only one, unfortunately. Too many people judge a future project on those that came before, and while it’s quite natural, it’s easier than one might think to keep expectations low and surprise the hell out of people. In all honesty, Doctor Sleep wasn’t a bad movie since it brought a number of elements from The Shining and made them work with the new material considering that Danny had grown up and become a very different person as an adult. But the torture that became his life feels like something he couldn’t live with forever, and in an effort to save Abra and make peace with his demons, Danny had to further than he might have intended. But the fun part of that was that the Overlook didn’t win in the end, as it was seen that Danny was allowed to visit Abra again and that the young woman had learned to harness her own power by the end of the movie.
The history of the Overlook feels like it would be quite interesting.
There was a little bit of information given about the Overlook in The Shining, but not enough that people would have been listening intently. All that’s really understood is the fact that this is a truly evil place that corrupts those it can and consumes others in its own diabolical manner. Between The Shining and Doctor Sleep, it’s been established that the Overlook is a horrid place that is best left alone unless it can be used as a trap, as well as a weapon. In other words, the Overlook is a complex place that deserves at least a little bit of an explanation since it bears thinking that something made it this way. The idea that it wouldn’t be worth the effort simply because Doctor Sleep didn’t perform in the manner that people expected is kind of ridiculous since judging one series or one movie based on another feels silly.
credit: Doctor Sleep
There might be something more insidious about the Overlook than people were expecting to see.
Something had to happen to turn this location into a breeding ground for evil, and while there are usually many legends that can be drawn upon for such an occurrence, it’s fair to think that the Overlook has a tale to tell that could be great enough to stand as an anchor that would make The Shining and Doctor Sleep stand out even further as the great stories that they already are. Plus, there’s enough material to work with to create a tale that might send this subject even further down the rabbit hole that Stephen King unearthed so long ago. It’s true that digging too deeply might not be a great idea since it could happen that the story might end up becoming stale and overdone, but there’s a good chance that it could lead to something else that might be fun to watch.
Judging the Overlook series based on Doctor Sleep is a mistake.
Even if it’s a judgment that’s only given in passing and not a serious condemnation of the series that could come, trying to justify the idea that the Overlook series shouldn’t happen based on how Doctor Sleep performed would be a very bad idea. This series could become a very useful origin point for the two stories that follow, so long as it’s allowed to build up the kind of origin that the other two stories could reasonably stem from.
One story could turn things around in a big way and make every story more impressive.