Doctor Sleep might contain the most horrific film scene of 2019
By Mads Lennon
Doctor Sleep was one of the most anticipated new horror films of the year, and it just might contain one of the most vicious scenes of 2019.
It’s been decades since Stanley Kubrick directed The Shining and terrified us all with the haunting story of the Overlook Hotel. Since that film was released, Stephen King has released a sequel novel titled Doctor Sleep.
This month, we finally got the long-awaited film adaptation of that book. Mike Flanagan, known best for his work on Netflix’s Haunting of Hill House, brought his signature terror to the movie. Stephen King has even given the film version of Doctor Sleep his blessing, something that The Shining never received.
Flanagan has also gifted us with deviously creep movies like Oculus, Ouija: Origin of Evil, Hush, and Gerald’s Game. Despite his growing popularity, he remained underrated for many years before his big breakout from Netflix.
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His movies are full of disturbing imagery. Remember the kitten scene from Hill House? What about the many ways Lulu Wilson tormented us all as possessed Doris in Origin of Evil? Flanagan has an eye for making people tremble. That might be why Doctor Sleep contains one of the most brutal and haunting scenes of the year.
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read any further if you have yet to see Doctor Sleep in theaters. The following article content may be considered a spoiler.
If you have seen the movie, you might already know to which scene we’re referring. It involves the adorable Jacob Tremblay in his darkest role yet.
The main villains of Doctor Sleep are the odious and cruel True Knot cult, led by the enchanting Rose the Hat. Rose and her guild of wicked followers track down children who have the “shine.” They then feed on their shine. It manifests physically in the form of steam.
When the child is in pain or terrified, they emit stronger and more potent steam. This leads the True Knot to track down Bradley Trevor (Tremblay), a young baseball player who shines.
What follows is the brutal torture and murder of the poor boy by the hands of the True Knot. The movie does not shy away from anything. We are forced to watch as the helpless kid is tied to the ground and then stabbed repeatedly by Rose.
To make matters worse, all the full-grown adults hover around the child inhaling his steam as if they’re hungry zombies gorging themselves on his flesh.
The scene involves plenty of bloodshed and the heartbreaking shrieks from Tremblay. I can’t imagine his parents could ever watch this film! To make matters worse, miles away, Abra wakes up and witnesses everything about Bradley’s death in her head due to her own shine. She screams in terror, forcing her parents to come rushing in.
What makes the scene so shocking to watch is the fact it involves a child. Stephen King does not shy away from violence towards children. We’ve all seen that in It, Pet Sematary, and several of his other novels. But in the movies, the directors usually choose discretion shots so we don’t see the violence in full like we would with an adult.
That’s not the case in Doctor Sleep. Tremblay’s scene plays out in chilling graphic detail. Some fans have taken issue with the graphic nature of the moment. It’s still considered mostly taboo to hurt children on-screen. While the scene is indeed disturbing, I understand why Flanagan added it.
Before Bradley, we saw the True Knot abduct another child, Violet. By comparison, that scene is tame. Flanagan wanted to hammer home the true monstrosity of the True Knot. It can be easy to empathize with them at times due to their struggle to survive without steam. In the novel, this is even more apparent.
Flanagan did not want the audience to suffer some delusion that these people had any shred of decency left behind. To his credit, he gets his point across by using Bradley’s death as a pivotal turning point in the movie.
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What did you think about Doctor Sleep in theaters? Did Bradley’s death traumatize you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Doctor Sleep is now playing in theaters.