Mike Goes To Movies

Doctor Sleep (2019) Oddly enough, the latest of Stephen King's book adaptations is one of the toughest reviews I've had to write. I have a lot of conflicted thoughts and emotions about this film, and, largely, this is because it is a sequel to a very classic film - one of my favourites in fact - and, in my opinion, the best horror film of all time. Unlike many sequels, however, Doctor Sleep is a legitimate continuation of the story as it was penned by King himself in 2013 (whether he should have done so is an entirely separate discussion). Now, writer/director, Mike Flanagan, had a uniquely difficult task as he decided to make this film a sequel to both The Shining the book and the film - and for those King diehards, you know that there are significant differences between the two. Lastly, is the fact that The Shining was made by one of the all-time greats, Stanley Kubrick, and no matter how much you want to, or try to, you cannot help but compare Doctor Sleep to The Shining ...

Pet Semetary (2019) God, cats are just the fucking creepiest... A second cinematic re-telling of Stephen King's classic 1983 horror novel, the haunting story revolves around the Creed family who have just moved into a rural home near the town of Ludlow. Upon arriving, the family discovers the titular 'pet semetary', an old graveyard where children have ritualistically been burying their deceased pets for many generations. As one can imagine, the 'semetary' is more than a little bit haunted... For those who are unfamiliar with the story, to go into further detail would spoil much of the plot and the horrors that befall Louis Creed and his family. Suffice it to say that the narrative, and the film's main theme, revolves around one of the truest nightmares that a family could suffer. Coincidentally, I actually read the original novel last year (not knowing that a film remake was already in the works) and so it was difficult not to compare this film with the...