Under the Blade and Microscope: Wherein author-screenwriter
Matt Serafini dissects physical media, standouts of streaming services, and
Mike Flanagan’s film adaptation of Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep, with comics
writer Josh Jabcuga.
(Note:
The following interview was conducted via email, beginning in early November
2019, and wrapping up February 7th, 2020.)
JOSH JABCUGA:
Over on your Twitter account
(@MattFini) you encouraged your readers to support Mike Flanagan's film
adaptation of the Stephen King novel Doctor
Sleep when it had just been released theatrically. One of those tweets
struck a chord. Your comments went viral, even catching the attention of
Stephen King himself, who then quote-tweeted you. This film had so much going
for it, if nothing else than being a sequel to, in my opinion, a classic King
novel and a classic horror film. As if the sheer potential wasn't
enough, you said: "Flanagan stages an incredible adaptation that somehow
bridges TWO legacies from separate mediums. A sprawling, empathic,
miracle."
Audiences love King, they love
horror in general, and yet this film was criminally overlooked. Do you have any
theories as to why?
MATT SERAFINI:
I'm
not a box office analyst by any means, but I will say I was genuinely stunned
by the performance of Doctor Sleep. It
*is* a great film in my eyes. One of my favorites of the year (and I've already
got the Best Buy steelbook preordered). As to why it failed to draw an
audience? I think marketing probably overestimated the general public's
awareness of The Shining. I mean,
that movie is nearly 40 years old at this point. And if you're a cineaste or a
devoted horror fan, you probably know about it. But if you're not in that
scene? Well, Doctor Sleep’s marketing
really didn't give you a whole heck of a lot to work with. It didn't tell the
audience what the story was about (a middle-aged man protecting a young girl
from psychic vampires) and instead depended solely on the original film's
iconography. I personally loved the marketing, but I realize now they were
preaching to the choir with me and probably should've worried more about the
rest of the ticket-buying world.
